Get the Girl
by wendyalisony
Summary: [2 years after PP2, a take on what happens in PP3] 2 years after the Bellas graduate, the girls have each gone their way to develop their careers & fulfill their dreams all the while keeping in touch with one another. But Chloe suddenly dropped off the radar and a concerned Beca decides to find out what is up with the redhead, unknowinglly finding herself in the process.
1. Beca: Something's Not Right

**A/N: My first attempt at a Bechloe story, so please bear with my amateur writing. I am also trying to stick to what's canon for the Pitch Perfect Series (plus bits and pieces from DVD/Blu-Ray extra footage or features) and try not to deviate at all from plotlines of PP1 and PP2. This is a story that tries to cover all Bechloe moments (not Sendrick moments), tie them together and create a possible PP3 plot line. The whole story will come in different POV and you'll know who's POV you're reading by the chapter title. Hope you enjoy! :)**

Beca Mitchell glanced once more at her laptops' clock. 1:23 am. She had been at the recording studio for over 15 hours straight and had made hardly any progress on the track she'd been working on since Tuesday, and it's Thursday already. Her boss needed the complete piece the next day to demo to the client. She rubbed her eyes and shifted her palms toward her temples. The long hours in her line of work is not new to her and the fatigue is nearly always overshadowed by her passion and love for music, but lately she had lost much inspiration and drive. It bothered her even more that she could not pinpoint what the problem is.

It has been 2 years since she graduated from Barden University. Her career path to becoming a music producer couldn't be smoother. After getting promoted to Recording Engineer at Residual Heat Recording Studio where she interned at in her final year (no small feat for one so new to the industry), she landed a gig just 8 months ago as Production Assistant to legendary Record Producer, Jeff Bhasker, in LA, California. Her dreams have basically come true, it was what she wanted all along, even before she started college at Barden and she was just one step away from being a full-fledged Music Producer. She relished in the fact that she proved to her dad she's able to keep her word and become successful in the music production business. She was also glad she made the most out of her college experience, which did actually help her in more ways than she had imagined.

Her talents were noticed soon after winning the A Cappella World Championship with the song she produced with Emily Junk, or "Legacy" as the Barden Bellas called her. The "Flashlight" song that helped them win the competition has since gone viral, and thankfully did a much better job at spreading than the one showing fellow Bella Fat Amy's unfortunate wardrobe malfunction at their senior year performance at Kennedy Centre. Now dubbed "the most promising DJ and budding Music Producer", Beca has her sights set on making it to the top. She knew that she owes much of her success to the Bellas and this compelled her to work really hard so as not to disappoint them. She is Beca Effin' Mitchell, she just had to be awesome.

Sadly her own ambitions, increasing fame, and growing confidence developed a strain in her relationship with Jesse Swanson, the former Treblemaker who is now well on his way to being the movie score composer he aspired to become. Shortly after graduation, Jesse decided to move to LA, a move that initially unsettled her. She had hoped that he would at least wait for her and they move there together but he reassured her things would be fine and it was quite reasonable that the job opportunity for him there would not be waiting for him forever, so he had to go. The pair had a long-distance relationship for 13 months, a period that went by fairly quickly as both became busy with work. When she arrived in LA, she did not give herself a break but started her new role the next day. Jesse, who had been anticipating her arrival all year long, had somehow grown more petulant and needy than she was used to.

Over time, Beca found herself dedicating more and more time to work and less and less time to her boyfriend. Often, their conversations centered on various films that Jesse is writing background music for, he sometimes made her watch them with him. This was a topic or pastime that Beca loses interest in very quickly, no matter how thrilling or amazing Jesse made it sound. The lack of passion for movies has not improved much since watching the Breakfast Club years ago. Soon she would put off going out with him unless she needed someone to vent to. Even then, she'd find their conversations looping back to stuff about him; what he likes or what he's doing. And it only got worse.

Jesse was not sure why she was growing increasingly distant, he had expected her to be appreciative of his eagerness to share details of his life with her. He thought that maybe injecting something new into their relationship will help, and he fixated on the idea of getting her to move in with him, then getting married, and then starting a family. He wanted stability and possibility of aca-children in a couple of years, expecting that she too would feel the same way given both their careers are well on track. It did not take long for him to start being pushy and aggressive with his plan. Beca, however, had no intention of doing all this so soon. She had wanted to take things slow and deliberately made the decision to rent her own place in LA close to her studio so that she can have her own space. She's only 24, getting hitched could wait at least another 5-6 years, children could wait after she's in her 30s when she's (hopefully) a very successful music producer with her own production company. Only then she will want to focus on other things. But not now.

She did not want to hurt him or bring him down by telling him upfront that she had different ideas about their future. Beca's instinct at times like this would be to shy away from it all and avoid confrontation. And she resorted to that usual habit only to find herself increasingly annoyed each time Jesse hinted that she should move in with him, or when he made her pay attention to a wedding taking place or a family with kids getting together in the films he had her watch. She was about to snap when she remembered how she had kept her internship a secret from the Bellas only to learn that being forthcoming from the get-go would have made her life simpler. She saw no better alternative, so she mustered the courage one evening over dinner at a quiet restaurant downtown, and told her boyfriend plainly she is not ready to put herself in wedlock or motherhood any time soon. She could still remember the exchange very clearly.

"That's pretty selfish. Look, I came here to LA because of you. It was your dream, I have been supportive of everything you do…"

"I know."

"Perhaps think about what I want for a change? You're going to be a music producer soon, maybe in a year?"

"Jesse, I'm just not ready for marriage and kids, it may have to do with my work, it may not, all I know is that I'm not ready, and I won't be ready for a while."

"So when will you be ready? I do not see this compromising your career. It crushes me to see you pushing this back without good reason for it, can you not figure it out? What do you really want, Beca?"

"I want to take a break." The look he gave her next was a mix of incredulity, hurt and anger. He did not expect the situation to go down this way. Taking breaks was not his thing, he told her this long time ago; either they are together or they are not, no in-between.

"So we're done…?" he whispered, looking away. She did not quite get if it was a question for her or it was a rhetorical one.

"I didn't say…"

" _No, I'm done."_ With that, he got up, placed a twenty on the table for his share of the dinner, put on his jacket and stormed off.

 _I'm done_. The same words he used when he slammed the door in her face when she tried to make up with him after a fight in freshman year. She was unable to react until he had left for over 5 minutes, she felt sick by his reaction. He had managed to evoke guilt, rejection, heartbreak, and anger inside her all at once. She had envisioned the dialogue to bring about a sense of liberation for her just as it had with the Bellas, she was clearly wrong. He certainly made it sound like it was over, that or he expected her to come crawling back to his door again the way she pathetically did 6 years ago. She could never really get over that one, how humiliated she felt if it wasn't for the overwhelming sense of remorse she had for deriding him in front of her friends at the ICCA semi-finals. This time she's certain she did nothing to deserve the same treatment.

That was a couple months ago. She hasn't spoken to Jesse since, neither did she tell the Bellas of her falling out with Jesse. She knew it would have made no difference, they never really cared much when she talked about her boyfriend anyway.

It still brought bittersweet memories for Beca whenever she thinks about those good old times with the girls. Since their graduation, all of them had dispersed (except for Emily), each living their own dreams. Chloe Beale did indeed become a singing teacher at a public elementary school as well as singer at a local musical group, she was one of the few who remained in Atlanta. Fat Amy had become a popular Broadway musical performer as well as cast member on Saturday Night Live, she's now engaged to Bumper and is living with him in New York. Stacie Conrad had started her own dancing school and does pole-dancing performances in Las Vegas. Cynthia-Rose Adams got married to her partner in Maine, a girl who worked at a local casino hotel where Cynthia-Rose sang nightly at the hotel's lounge. Lilly Onakuramara deejayed at a club in San Francisco. Jessica and Ashley started an events planning company together in Jacksonville, Florida, they sing at parties or weddings as well. And Flo Fuentes found herself a Hispanic-American husband soon after graduation and thankfully need not get deported or get killed at sea, to everyone's relief. Flo, Chloe and Aubrey are the only Bellas who remained in Atlanta, Georgia.

Beca missed those times when she would sing and hang out with the girls, the awesome nerds she has grown to know and love throughout her four years at Barden have been family to her. She's quite glad that all seem to have settled nicely in their own way after graduating. The girls mainly kept in touch through texting or voice messages. But perhaps due to time-zone differences and distance, the frequency of contact had gradually dwindled. In the Bellas group chat, the last message was from Aubrey (still running the Lodge of Fallen Leaves, her team-building retreat camp) nearly a month ago with another quote from her father that nobody quite understood. And the last Beca heard from any Bella member was Emily's cry for help with another Bella set a week ago.

The two Bellas she loved hearing from the most are Chloe and Fat Amy. Fat Amy always cheered her up with her jokes and words of encouragement, Chloe was the ultimate source of inspiration as well as emotional support. However, the redhead hadn't messaged in a while and the last she heard from Fat Amy was two weeks ago. Beca alluded the silence to busy work commitments and tried to think nothing of it. Yet, Beca couldn't help push away a recent nagging feeling that kept bothering her, affecting her concentration and her work.

She looked at the clock again. 1:32 am. 9 minutes spent on useless reminiscing. She checked her phone, and tapped the shortcut to their group chat, it was still Aubrey's quote. She then navigated to her conversation with Fat Amy, nothing new either, though she was online just 10 minutes ago. Then she tapped into her conversation with Chloe, she noticed her last online time was two weeks ago. _Odd_ , she thought, _Chloe the chatterbox not logged on for this long?_ Beca could really use some help from the former Bella co-leader now that her brain's in blockage mode. _Shoot, it's 4:35am over in Atlanta now, not a good idea to ring her up_ …. _but wait, New York and Atlanta are in the same time zone, there's a chance Fat Amy might still be up?_ Beca quickly typed a message to the Aussie Bella.

" _Broadway Superstar, you still up?"_

Beca proceeded to pack her things, not expecting a reply when her phone buzzed 2 minutes later.

" _Cheeky DJ, you working night shift? Late out in LA too by now."_

Surprised Fat Amy replied at all, Beca promptly typed back a message:

" _Should be asking you, saw you're on 10-15 min ago."_

" _Yeah, late rehearsal, they cannot get enough of me, on break so chillin' a bit."_

" _You heard from Chlo lately?"_

" _No, why you asking?"_

" _She hasn't been online for 2 weeks, unlike her. Wanted to get some ideas from Miss Beale."_

Beca chuckled to herself, imagining how the kids Chloe teaches would address the redhead and remembering how she'd teased Chloe with the new moniker.

" _I dunno Beca"_ Fat Amy replied curtly.

 _That's strange_ , Beca thought. Fat Amy normally expounds on her replies, if she didn't know the answer to a question, she would be one to explain why she doesn't know. The apparent lack of the usual humor from her friend is also puzzling. _Is Fat Amy not acting herself either…or is she just too busy?_ Beca was hoping it's stress or fatigue that's making her overthink things.

" _Weirdo lost her phone or something, you think?"_ Beca had just barely sent that message when her phone buzzed again.

" _Checked with Aubrey? She prob knows, she's closest to her. Hey,gotta run, chat later!"_

Beca stared at her screen for a brief moment. _Guess she's just busy_ , she rationalized. She contemplated whether to message Aubrey. _Probably not this late_. She decided to wait until the next morning to check in on Chloe. She missed the ginger's laugh and voice. _Probably a good idea to just dial her._

Back home, the DJ proceeded to take a quick shower to ready herself for bed. It had been a long day, and she wanted to clear her head from work so she could get a good night's sleep. The warm water helped her relax and she closed her eyes, ready to wash off the ache and fatigue coursing through her body and hopefully that nagging feeling that's been following her for the past week. _I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away fire away, ricochet you take your aim, fire away fire away, shoot me down but I won't fall, I am Titanium…._ Beca stopped herself, realizing she just burst into the all-too-familiar David Guetta jam. "Chloe…", she whispered out loud to herself, as memories of the redhead barging into her shower 6 years ago came flooding her thoughts. A sense of uneasiness followed, _something doesn't feel right_. Beca shut off the water and stepped out of the shower cubicle, she glanced at her phone. _No new notifications_. With a shrug, she put on her sleeping t-shirt and sweatpants and headed for bed.

 **A/N That's the end of a very long intro chapter! Thanks for reading. Hope Bechloe shippers would be pleased that I made swift work of Jesse. Next story will likely be POV from Fat Amy or Chloe, haven't decided yet but please stay tuned.**


	2. Fat Amy: Miss Me When I'm Gone

**A/N: Long chapter but hope you'll find it worth reading, many scenes of Bechloe from Fat Amy's POV. Also some background story on Bechloe-shippers' two favorite Bellas and a bit on what happens to Tom, the boy Chloe had been seen making out and kissing with in PP1.**

Fat Amy prided herself in her ability to keep secrets. She's an open book to everyone but not when it comes to things people tell her in confidence. _This was something else_. Fat Amy could hardly contain it any longer but the Ginger had made it clear she wanted nobody to know, _especially_ not Beca.

In fact, the curvaceous Bella would not have known either if she wasn't in Atlanta three weeks ago to do a commercial shoot. Not only had she been looking forward to the warmer weather, she had planned the final week of her trip for surprise visits to the Bellas at Barden (now with Legacy as the captain) and to her close pals; Chloe, Aubrey and Flo (the only ones who remained in Atlanta).

She had expected a small reunion with plenty of laughs. Little did she know that it turned out so differently that she could hardly crack a joke after seeing the redhead. _And the Ginger doesn't want Beca to know!_

Fat Amy also kept that a secret, though she had sensed it and witnessed it throughout her years with the Bellas. Chloe Beale and Beca Mitchell had a thing for one another; that was apparent even before Fat Amy chanced upon Chloe's journal during junior year, when she was rooming with the redhead.

 _Titanium_ was the song they picked for the first audition after Aubrey and Chloe left Barden. Beca had convinced them it's a song that really builds and they can test the singer's vocal range, whether they can do the bass notes better or the high notes better. The rest of the Bellas did not object, they trusted Beca 100%.

That audition, however, was disappointing for Beca. She did not feel any of the candidates were good enough, Fat Amy thought a couple were alright though she'd rather let Beca make the decision as she was more in there for the singing and dancing, not strategizing. The Bellas then discussed amongst themselves what's riskier; having a small group with less variation to their sets or trying to involve someone who they're pretty skeptical about. Beca was about to settle for training a new girl when an all too familiar voice filled the audition hall… _I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away fire away…_ walking onto the stage was none other than Chloe Beale, beaming at her former teammates.

Beca's jaw dropped, she jumped from her seat, climbed onto desk in front of the stage and jumped across to lock her arms around the former Bella. The other girls followed suit and they formed a large group hug.

"Oh my god! What are you doing here?" Beca exclaimed as soon as she released her embrace.

"Miss me already?" Chloe winked.

"Hell yes! We're out of luck with this year's batch, either we remain a tight group or we spend more time training a new girl and literally pray she can be up to Bellas standard." Beca explained, she noticed herself talking really fast, everyone was a little dumbfounded at seeing the Ginger there, but Beca was more embarrassed she had hugged the redhead, and enjoyed it. Beca was not usually a touchy-feely type of gal.

Chloe grinned at Beca, "Well, I'm staying at Barden to be with you…gals".

The Ginger had purposefully failed Russian Literature to delay graduating to be with the Bellas, or so she told everyone. Fat Amy knew better. Chloe had been confiding to Fat Amy how she worried about Beca. The DJ is great at what she does, but she drives herself too hard and would withdraw herself when she is cornered or too stressed out, and Chloe is the only one who knew how to pull her back out. The look of melancholy and helplessness was apparent on her face when she talked about her imminent graduation; Beca meant a lot to Chloe. This was not just about the Bellas, Chloe came back for the DJ.

Once the Bellas had Chloe back, they all moved into their sorority house and allocated the 5 bedrooms between themselves. It was a no-brainer that Chloe and Beca became roomies, the two led the Bellas and had much to talk and plan about their sets and rehearsals. Stacie paired with Lilly, Jessica and Ashley were inseparable so nobody even thought of splitting them apart or grouping with either two, Cynthia Rose and Denise were dating so they had their own room. The 5th room Fat Amy occupied to herself. It was a great year, the girls got along great with one another, they outperformed the Treblemakers once again, and won that year's ICCAs with a breeze.

Then Beca and Chloe decided to add a new member to the group to spruce things up. Flo Fuentes became a Bella, she was an average singer but what made her stood out was her acrobatic skills which could help enhance their choreography immensely. Beca decided to room with Flo to train her singing more, and that was how Fat Amy roomed with Chloe in junior year, a little to Chloe's disappointment even when she knew the arrangement was what's best for the Bellas.

Rooming with Chloe was great for Fat Amy (at least better than it would with other girls); the redhead was neat and tidy, very accommodating, and she had highly regular habits and schedules. It made sneaking out to Bumper a piece of cake. For some reason, she still felt guilty sleeping with the ex-Treblemaker, even when Aubrey's gone and Beca's actually dating one. Perhaps it's just that Bumper had been quite an asshole towards the Bellas previously, even though LA did change him and he became a less condescending, more considerate type of guy. The thing she liked about him was that he was so similar to her, outwardly egotistical but was every bit insecure inside. Fat Amy knew Chloe would not judge her or Bumper, the redhead most likely knew about their flings too, but Chloe is such an angel it made her feel remorseful regardless.

Chloe never told Fat Amy about her feelings for Beca. The Aussie noticed it when Chloe would look longingly at the DJ and would always come to her defense when Aubrey was still in charge. Fat Amy's suspicions were confirmed when she chanced upon Chloe's small pocket journal that chronicled all the things that happened between her and Beca and how she felt for the tiny Bella. Chloe had been in love with Beca since freshman year. Fat Amy read her writing zealously, after taking a 10 or a 20 from Chloe's purse each month. The Aussie didn't mean to pour over what is obviously a very private diary, but she knew she could help Chloe by softening the blows whenever Beca unwittingly talked about Jesse or that German dummkopf woman from Das Sound Machine who Beca seemed infatuated or intimidated by.

Beca, she figured, did not have a clue that Chloe's into her, but when it comes to relationships, Beca never really had a clue. Heck, the tiny DJ couldn't even see how much Chloe affected herself too, nor did she see how Jesse was really a time-filler. Beca liked Jesse's company but he never really understood her, she tolerated him only because he was her boyfriend, and Beca had this silly idea that girlfriends and boyfriends tolerated one another. So she would put up with his antics, his movies, his embarrassing "Be-caw" and other outbursts when he's in high spirits. Fat Amy noticed how each time he does it, Beca would look like she'd want to bury her head in the sand. Chloe on the other hand, only made Beca blush when she got too close or gave her hugs, Beca would never cringe or complain like she does with others when they get into her personal space. _The little twerp is such an introvert and so antisocial at times_.

Fat Amy wished she could just tell the two to get together but she was in no position to, even when Beca continued to show how much she actually cared for Chloe. She insisted rooming with Fat Amy her senior year when she heard how Fat Amy snored really loudly and told the big girl that Chloe is doing so much for the group she deserved a good night's sleep more than anyone. Beca had noticed Chloe's growing anxiety and uneasiness and thought it was due to sleep deprivation (it was really just Chloe afraid of Beca being gone from her life very soon). When the Bellas were suspended from competing at the collegiate level, Chloe nearly lost it because her main connection to Beca would be gone. No more Bellas meant no more rehearsals or practices. No more Beca meant no more meaning.

Beca did not tell Chloe about the internship because she's too afraid Chloe will be disappointed in her for pursuing her own dreams and not the Bellas. It had not been her intention to keep this in wraps. She knew that having to do an internship plus running the Bellas would mean she would be the one not getting any sleep. She had planned to quit the Bellas soon after Kennedy Centre performance to focus on her future, and was about to tell Chloe and Fat Amy to take over. That was until Chloe suggested they compete for the World Championship to reinstate the group out of devastation and desperation. That changed everything. It fueled the fighter spirit in Beca who did not want to see Chloe go about this alone with Fat Amy. Beca knew she would never be able to forgive herself to leave just like this and decided to hush up about her side job. Of course Fat Amy found out soon enough from her usual habit of helping herself to her roommate's cash and it all made sense to her, even she noticed Beca's absenteeism since the beginning of senior year.

"Beca, why didn't you tell us?" Fat Amy enquired that night when she saw Beca was up late working but with tears in her eyes. "Or at least Chloe?" she added, hoping Beca would again take the hint.

"I don't know. Just… 'Cause it's just easier." Beca prostrated herself and averted Fat Amy's gaze. Letting any of the Bellas know would likely mean letting Chloe know. "There's like so much going on, and Chloe would lose her mind if she thought my sole focus wasn't winning Worlds." Fat Amy winced knowing what Beca thought was far from the truth. _Chloe's sole focus is you, you nitwit!_

"Sorry it's just I'm freaking out, because it turns out, like, I'm totally not good enough to be a music producer. Which is cool and fun to know as I enter the rest of my life."

Fat Amy realized now is not the best time to bring up Chloe. The girl was stressed out and she knew exactly what the tiny DJ needed; a confidence boost, some humor, and some intimacy to make her cringe and forget what she's upset about. All that, she could easily do for the brunette. She proceeded to cheer up the girl in her own way.

"I don't want your butt confidence! I don't want your butt confidence. No! I have enough! I have enough! I have ENOUGH!" Beca squealed as Fat Amy tackled her to bed and smacked her butt playfully. The DJ pushed the big girl off her backside, squirming from being touched multiple times.

"Geez! What part of 'I have enough' don't you understand?!" Beca complained as Fat Amy steadied herself off her bed. The smaller girl was back to her normal self as she broke into a smile soon after.

"Well, you looked like you could use the best that I've got with that pout just now, Beca effin' Mitchell, and it looked like it worked!" Fat Amy retorted, noticing the tears and redness from Beca's eyes now gone. Beca smirked and turned back to her laptop.

"You know, you really ought to tell Chloe. She's a better friend than you think." Fat Amy suggested as she made her way to bed. Beca stared at the monitor in front of her, she pondered on her roommate's words for a few seconds. Unable to concentrate, she snapped it shut, turned off her bedside lamp and went to sleep. Fat Amy shook her head in exasperation, probably for the thousandth time by now since rooming with the tiny producer-to-be. _Just when will she see how much the Ginger loves her and learn to love her back?_ _Stubborn little twerp._

Fat Amy was pretty exhausted too from constantly trying to find opportunity to get the two to talk things out like they used to, now that Beca was constantly so busy. She had deliberately left the tent on their first night at retreat camp to leave room for them to chat. Through a slit at the side of the tent she witnessed the two turned towards each other, whispering intensely about something she couldn't make out as she was not within earshot. Chloe brushed a strand of stray hair from Beca's face and they kept whispering. _Good sign, at least they're talking_. Fat Amy was quite content with herself, but realized her satisfaction came too soon though, the little idiot turned her face away, ending the conversation with the redhead. _Dammit!_ _What happened_ _?_ Fat Amy sighed. _This is not going anywhere and I'm not staying out here, letting my sexy fat ass get mauled by bears_.

She pretended to need to finish her business with one last attempt to get the girls to face one another again, _maybe get them to sing?_ Chloe, being the sweetheart that she is, complied and started singing. _I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel. I'm cold and I'm shamed, lying naked on the floor. Illusions never changed into something real, I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn._ The song was too familiar, it was the most played song on Australian radio in history. Fat Amy wanted to cry for the Ginger, _Beca must have fucked up badly again and the idiot is shutting her off_. _What the hell is wrong with her?_ The song was apparently from Chloe's heart and reflected her deepest feelings at that moment. Fat Amy decided to say something funny to stop herself from tearing up so she can return to the tent.

The next day, she witnessed for the the first time the two oblivious lovebirds quarreling. That was a complete aca-awkward moment. The Bellas felt more uncomfortable watching them argue than when Aubrey barked orders or said whatever inconsiderate bullshit to Chloe when she was trying to exert control over the team. None of them dared intervene or say anything like they would have when Aubrey and Chloe fought. In fact they were compelled to steer clear from the scene. Only Fat Amy had the guts to try to mediate the situation. "Come on Beca, just tell her" she encouraged, hoping this would be the end of the tension between the two.

"I heard that, tell me what." The tremble in Chloe's voice was an obvious mix of surprise and dismay. Beca and Fat Amy were keeping a secret from her. What possibly would they hide from her? She felt a little hurt. Beca glared at Fat Amy.

 _Shit_ , _I probably should not out Beca like that_. Fat Amy knew how the DJ hates being backed into a corner and this was her secret. _Think fast, Fat Amy!_ She tried to cover up her slip with some gibberish. Chloe didn't buy it.

"Listen, I don't want you guys to fight. You're Beca and Chloe, together you're Bhloe. And everyone loves a good Bhloe. So…." Fat Amy is at a loss for words, anything more she says will let Beca's secret out or the fact that they two are in love but are too blind or too stubborn to admit it, and Fat Amy is no teller of secrets. She decided to walk off, let these two settle their own score.

Beca finally decided to reveal everything, blurting out what she had been hiding as fast as she possibly could. She was so nervous, knowing Chloe would be so mad at her and she had never seen Chloe really mad at her. It would be so frightening! She was ready to get yelled at.

Chloe could hardly believe it, _that's_ the big secret? But why? "Okay. So why would you keep something like that from us?" Chloe clearly didn't understand the implication and it was not the reaction Beca expected, she expected Chloe to reprimand her immediately, the bottled-up angst and fear exploded inside her and she word-vomited.

"'Cause you're obsessed! You all are! We're graduating and the only person thinking about life after the Bellas is me." There could not be a poorer defense, Beca knew how bright these girls are, she never worried about any of them, even Chloe who purposely stayed behind for 3 years. It was probably harder for her to fake failure in exams than to pass it. But Beca was in defense mode and she would get irrationally feisty when she is about to get defeated.

"What is so wrong about being focused on the Bellas? This has been my family for seven years!" Chloe wanted to tell her too that the happiest time of her life were the past four, but she held her tongue, now is not the time for confessions.

"Yeah, 'cause you're too scared to leave! Sack up, dude!" Beca too had always wanted to tell Chloe to seriously consider graduating, she cannot be staying behind forever. And this year was the last year she could graduate. Another failure meant she will be expelled from Barden, and that would mean a waste of 7 years there. But this was definitely _NOT_ the way Beca had intended to raise this topic.

Cynthia-Rose, who also guessed something is going on between the co-captains shouted "Girl Fight!" from the bench, eager to ease the tense situation playing in front of them. Aubrey did not know if she should intervene either. She read somewhere that conflict within teams can let both parties in opposition find deeper revelation about each other's true intentions and develop better understanding between members. She's praying that it'd be true. Even she felt how aca-awkward this fight is turning out.

Chloe's not mad at Beca for the whole internship thing, her biggest fear is that Beca would _leave_ and when Beca mentioned that same word, it kicked her in the chest, she too word-vomited "So you've been lying to us for the entire year and now you're just gonna flake out? Now you're gonna flake out when the Worlds is like right after graduation?"

Beca hardly knew what to say to that, Chloe had never sounded so stern and angry at her before and yet she's right. She had been irresponsible and unfair to the Bellas all this time. Completely backed into a corner now, Beca only knew one way how this will go down and that is to run and shut everyone out. The same way she ran when her parents divorced, the same way she ran when Aubrey dissed her for improvising at the ICCA semi-finals. On second thought, she really did not want to be running alone, "If you all knew what was good for you, you'd follow me." She had counted on Chloe to come chasing after her, the girl had always been persistent with her but that thought was violently interrupted as she got hoisted up into the air.

The little DJ looked so vulnerable and forlorn trapped in the net so high up while the rest of the group were at the ground. It was quite cute seeing the tiny Brunette kicking, screaming, and thinking she was dying. It's a rare sight to see the usually cool and collected Beca Mitchell now utterly powerless and in distress. Chloe with her teacher's instinct smirked and thought to give Beca a lesson right then right there, and let her have a taste of her own medicine. Both she and Fat Amy expected this net trap thing to have happened many times at Aubrey's camp so were not too worried about the DJ's safety. That was until the alarmed Legacy requested for a ladder and they were told they there was none. Fat Amy having no other idea how to rescue the girl stormed at Aubrey while Chloe tried her hardest not to freak out.

It might be the weight of Beca or her struggling that loosened the trap and dropped Beca a few feet down, causing more panic amongst the girls below. Chloe was worried sick but knew she had to remain calm, she ordered the girls to stand in formation so they could perhaps piggyback to get Beca down. She reassured the DJ not to worry when the net, along with the girl, fell 8 feet and to the ground, knocking over Ashley, Emily and Fat Amy who helped cushion the fall. Thankfully the leaves also provided good padding and nobody was severely injured.

Fat Amy always wondered if Lilly was trained as a ninja, to this day she couldn't fathom how the Asian Bella had climbed the tree discreetly during their little commotion and managed to dangle herself (securely) upside-down and cut Beca loose, but at that moment, it was the least of everyone's concern. When they all came to their senses, Chloe grabbed Beca and hugged her tightly, she then checked her for injuries and shouted at Aubrey to bring over a first-aid kit. Beca looked into her eyes after calming herself from the fall and gently told the redhead she was fine. Chloe with tearful blue eyes gazed back. Incredulous, she wrapped her arms around Beca once more, squeezing the petite Bella tightly with an overwhelming sense of relief. She then started attending to the small scrapes and wounds on Beca's limbs. The other Bellas looked at each other in amusement, all realizing now that silent Beca is letting Chloe touch her without so much as wincing or making a peep. Fat Amy quietly ushered the rest of the girls back to the tent to leave the two lovebirds alone.

That same night, everybody decided to take it easy and gathered round a campfire for a heart-to-heart as well as s'mores (Fat Amy thanked the Aca-gods they finally got to eat!). She intentionally sat between the co-captains to mediate just in case they got to fighting again.

Beca finally confessed she's not as macho and put together as she had wanted to be, she feared failing, and was even more afraid of telling people how she felt because it was weird to talk about her feelings. _Introvert alert!_ Fat Amy mused.

The Ginger hardly kept her eyes away from Beca, even as she confessed her own fear of graduating, of moving on. Fat Amy noticed how she glanced over at the DJ, the person she was afraid of leaving most. "Yeah, it actually does seem like it, because you're barely holding it together" the Aussie remarked, wishing that would embolden the Ginger to say more. Of course, Aubrey mistook Chloe's fear to be career-driven and Chloe (being the angel she always is) let her remain mistaken. Aubrey's a good friend though a very inobservant one.

Finally, Beca, in a rare moment of candid self-revelation said something that moved every girl at that campfire. "You know when I look back on this, I won't remember performing and competing. I'm gonna remember you weirdos." She looked up and directed her eyes at Chloe who was attentively staring back, Beca couldn't help but avert her gaze. "It makes me really sad to think it won't ever be like this again. I'm gonna miss you guys." The reality that they will soon be graduating and leaving did sadden the girls, even Fat Amy felt depressed thinking of about their imminent departure, when Chloe started singing.

It was Beca's audition song, a song Chloe memorized the very day after Beca performed it in front of her and Aubrey, and whoever was in that audition hall. Chloe had always wanted to let Beca know how awesomely proud she was of her, to tell her how mesmerized she was by that performance, and to sing the same song to her at the right moment. This might be her last chance. As the Bellas joined her singing, Beca smiled gratefully at Chloe, immensely touched that she remembered her audition song and what started her a capella career. Stacie saw the two locked gaze with each other and gleefully bit her lip, anticipating what's to come next, and Fat Amy was wondering if they would kiss. "Did we just find our sound?" Beca innocently asked, directing the question at Chloe. "I think we did." Chloe replied, slightly disappointed nothing more came from that. _Gaah...you two idiots! Perfect opportunity and you waste_ it! Amy murmured under her breath, she sighed again, thousand-and-tenth time. These two were killing her. _I'll stink bomb these dumb aca-bitches to wake them up!_

She would have loved to know what would happen later that night if she herself didn't get trapped in those dumb nets in her spree to salvage her relationship with Bumper. Somehow nothing became of Bhloe as a couple. Beca and Chloe remained 'friends' though closer friends than ever ever before and they seemed happy since. Even now, two years since winning the Worlds and leaving Barden, Fat Amy could tell Beca remembered and cared for Chloe more than any other Bella. _Beca couldn't do without Chloe._ That was obvious, Beca's music was very much inspired by the redhead.

She read Beca's text again

"You heard from Chlo lately?"

The conversation unnerved her, this was a secret too big to keep. Chloe's tasking her with the impossible and Fat Amy isn't a very good liar. If she cannot tell the DJ herself, then maybe somebody else can, somebody close to Chloe. It had been 2 weeks since she left Altanta, _it can't be_ _possible no other Bella has found out!_ Fat Amy suggested Beca ask Aubrey about the redhead, when it dawned on her. _Does Aubrey even know?_ Aubrey would be Chloe's closest friend, the two even had a brief history with each other, though they chose to remain friends as the tall blonde realized she was more into guys than girls. Chloe was appeasing as she also experimented dating with Tom for a semester but soon realized she started developing feelings for Beca and was never really interested in guys.

Fat Amy recalled the time she told Aubrey on Aca-Initiation Party that she thought Cynthia-Rose was gay (it was obvious enough) and Aubrey gave her a strange look as though to tell her s _he's not the only one_. Fat Amy had wanted to test if Posen was lesbian too what with her dead-serious oath forbidding the Bellas from having sex with the Treblemakers. She later realized that Aubrey meant Chloe as _the other lesbian_ , and the oath was merely her trying to make sure the girls do not canoodle with their arch-rival.

Yet, Aubrey was known to be quite inattentive to people's feelings, paying too much attention to bending people's will to fit her needs than to care about who they fall in love with. There is a chance the former Bella captain knew nothing and the radio silence on the group chat seemed to suggest she was truly oblivious or Chloe had also made her swear secrecy. _Now that Beca is sensing something is going on with the Ginger, how long can this be kept under wraps, and should it?_

The next day, She called her agent Patsy.

"Pats, how's my schedule looking now? I think I need to call that hiatus pronto."

"You're free next week and two weeks thereafter, I managed to hold or postpone everything until then, but they're replacing you for Cats, sorry Amy, they won't wait."

"Nah, it's fine, lousy part when they can't really see my face what all that makeup and whiskers. Damn shame 'cause they've got good songs and dancin'…but oh well, it'd be great if you can book me tickets next week to Atlanta?"

"Yep, right on it. Anything else?"

"All good…just need to pack and deal with jobs this week, really hope can make it back in 3 weeks. Thanks Patty-cakes!"

She proceeded to dial Chloe on a number the redhead had given her on her last trip, it was the only way to reach her now. She waited for the dial-tone but reached her voice message instead.

"Hey, it's Fat Amy, I'll be coming back next week. Beca asked about you, she's concerned. Look Chlo, you've got to let me tell her, give it a think will ya?" Fat Amy hung up to end the recording.

Then, she told her fiancé she needed to handle some Bella business and will be away from home for a few weeks, Bumper trusted Fat Amy and knew he couldn't stop her from doing what she wanted to anyway. "You call me if you need anything, okay? I'll fly over to wherever you are if you need sex or if they need my autograph." Fat Amy rolled her eyes but planted him a kiss anyway. She was always thankful her lover boy gave her all the freedom and liberty she needs without question, literally.

Finally, after waiting over a day for Chloe to call her back or reply her voice mail, which the Ginger didn't do, Fat Amy decided to text Beca and Aubrey, halfway through, Chloe's voice crossed her mind _"At times like these, there's only one thing for us to do. We're going on a retreat!"_ Fat Amy stopped typing and dialed Beca Mitchell instead.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading once again, next chapter will be about Chloe's secret, so stay tuned for more Bechloe. Hope you like that all the Bellas recognize Bechloe, especially Fat Amy who ships them from the beginning.**


	3. Chloe: I'm a Weirdo

**A/N: Chloe's secret is out, you'll find out how Fat Amy came to know about it and why she is helping Chloe keep that secret. Enjoy!**

It started with shortness of breath. Chloe Beale had thought she was not doing as much cardio as she used to when she was with the Bellas and started training herself again. But soon, she noticed her voice also changed slightly while demonstrating singing to her class; a slight hoarseness which her students did not seem to notice. She, though, had a keen enough ear to perceive the difference. And despite her workout regimen, her breathing had not improved, and she began to cough occasionally as though something was obstructing her airway.

There was no pain, like she had when she got nodes. The doctor, reassuring her that it was a fairly simple procedure with no scarring, had successfully removed her vocal nodules through steroid injection. It kept her voice mostly unharmed though she lost a bit of vocal range and cannot sing a G-sharp or higher, else her vocal nodules might return. She had mostly kept to that advice since, singing minimal high notes when performing or teaching. However, she still sang frequently; at school during the day, and with the musical group 'Atlanta Vocal Project' in the evenings. It kept her busy and she needed that to fill her time after graduation.

The kids at the primary school where she taught absolutely loved her, she taught with the kind of fervor and enthusiasm as though they were her own children and she led them into the a capella world. Interest grew so much that parents asked her to coach their kids to sing a capella during festivities and community performances. Things were not looking as bad as she had imagined after graduating.

The principal and other teachers all liked Chloe too, she was always bubbly and cheerful, not to mention she was stunningly gorgeous with her red locks and sapphire blue eyes. They kept teasing her as the most eligible bachelorette in Atlanta, always trying to set her up on dates and she became the love interest to several of the male teaching staff soon after she started the job. Of course, she politely declined their advances, either stating she was not ready for a relationship, or (to the more persistent ones) she would tell them she has a lover already. She did not come out or speak of her sexuality. In fact, she spoke little of herself.

Every time, someone hinted at romance, Beca Mitchell filled her thoughts and she tried as hard as she could to push them away. _She's with Jesse now, happily living her dreams in LA. So stop it!_ The truth was, she has not found anyone she could fall for so hard again, and it made her feel more alone. She discreetly headed to a lesbian bar once, the only one she could find in her area, but it made her feel emptier still as she was immediately hit on by the ladies who frequented the club and were overly desperate to find love or to get in her pants. It only made her cling to memories of Beca more than ever.

Eventually, she found some solace outside of teaching at 'Atlanta Vocal Project' where she sang with other hobbyist singers while volunteering on weekends at the Children's Shelter Home, where she and her biological mother spent most of their days until mom died when she was five. She never met her father. She was left under foster care by a kindly old professor, a first-generation Bella, who lost her husband many years ago and never had children. She became her sole family and mentor. The professor loved Chloe as her own daughter; taking the girl to singing classes and dancing classes and ensuring she was well provided for in every way possible. The child did not disappoint and became a Bella herself. Sadly, the professor passed away during Chloe's junior year and bestowed what remained of her assets to Chloe upon her passing. It was a considerable sum adequate for her to support herself for 7-8 years, Chloe also inherited the house where they stayed and for that reason, she never left Atlanta.

Being a foster kid with an elderly parent trained Chloe to be strong, fearless and independent, she hardly troubled anyone with her problems. When she had nodes, she didn't think of really telling anyone. Her doctor had said they would go away on their own if she would rest her voice and quit singing for 6 months. She was unable to hide the fact that the pain intensified each time she sang and only told her fellow Bellas when she was not able to sing properly at SBT. She later opted to get them removed rather than wait 6 months without singing. She checked into the hospital during spring break on her own to complete the procedure, again not informing anyone until after the fact.

This time was no different, she booked herself to a clinic to find out what might be the cause of her voice change and coughing. After a GP visit, she was referred to an ENT specialist who prescribed an endoscopy. It took one week for the diagnosis results to return.

"Chloe," the same doctor who cleared her nodes looked up gently from the report to the girl sitting across from him, his eyes revealing a look of concern that meant he did not have good news "the biopsy test shows that you have stage II laryngeal cancer, it's a cancer in the area where your vocal cords are." He paused, letting the girl soak in this upsetting information. Chloe returned him a bewildered look but she remained generally calm, so he continued, "It's still an early stage and very treatable, not life-threatening if you choose to treat it now."

"What about my voice?" she immediately asked. There was nothing more important, losing her voice is the same as a death sentence, and all that she ever worked for or loved stemmed from her voice.

The doctor felt an unease, knowing that what comes next may be harder for the girl to swallow, but he pressed on as professionally as he could, "The cancer is supraglottal, meaning it's just right above your vocal cords, but it's very near it which is why you find your voice has altered a little. Any form of treatment will likely impact your voice." Chloe's breathing started growing heavier…

"Impact how? Will I be able to sing? Will I be able to talk?" She looked as though she was asking herself these questions as she frantically looked around her, a blur forming as tears welled up in her eyes and she clenched her fist to hold herself together and stop herself from shaking. She coughed again.

"We will do whatever we can to keep your voice intact but we're unable to guarantee it won't be impacted, you might have a thicker voice and your vocal range might deplete, you'll need more effort breathing and swallowing which can significantly affect singing ability. A voice therapist may help but I advise most patients refrain from excessively using their voice as any recurrence would likely result in a laryngectomy or removal of the vocal cords." Chloe heard what the doctor said but her brain is racing to fathom how she could possibly refrain from using her voice or how her voice will change after this.

"Chloe?" The doctor gently brought her back from her thoughts after a period of awkward silence.

"I don't understand how…this could happen," she couldn't bring up the scary, medical c-word, "I had nodes and I thought that was it, I had them treated and all was good, I don't drink heavily or smoke at all…I really don't understand. And I can't sing?" She bit her lip as her eyes redden more. Somehow, singing meant a lot to her, the doctor knew this very well, he told himself not to go there.

"Yes, it's very rare for a patient like yourself to have this type of cancer, it can be due to genetic factors combined with excessive use of your voice. But do not lose heart, it's quite an early stage and you came to me quickly enough for us to detect it. As I said, it's very treatable as long as you do it soon. If it spreads further down and to your lymph nodes, treatment will be much more complicated. You're not a smoker nor do you drink heavily, your chances of survival are very, very good."

"When do I need to decide and what are treatment options?" she needed to know what lies ahead and most importantly, if she could ever sing again.

"We recommend a combination of surgery and radiotherapy. Surgery alone will remove the tumor, but radiotherapy lower the chances of it coming back. Do you have family with you to perhaps discuss this together?"

"And how will these treatments affect my voice? I teach singing for a living, I….I need to know if I will ever be able to speak or sing like I do now." She ignored his question about her family. The anxiety inside her was ready to burst, she was afraid of the answer but she knew she had to face it, and face it alone.

The doctor recognized he cannot sidestep the question any longer. The poor girl seemed to hold on to her voice more than dear life. "Chloe, we cannot guarantee the outcome of your voice, we will try our absolute best to keep your vocal cords intact, but these treatments will impact how you will sound. Speech function should not be a concern, you'll sound raspier, but you might need to be prepared that your voice will permanently change and… that you won't be able to sing." Chloe no longer held back her tears upon those words and she raised her hands to her face in despair. The doctor grabbed a box of Kleenex from his desk, gently placed it towards her, wheeled his chair closer and laid his hand on her back to comfort the girl, she was shuddering.

"Do you have any family members who you can discuss this with and support you? I'd be happy to meet with them to…"

"No, I'm…by myself." Chloe thought of the Bellas. _This has been my family for seven years!_ Her own words pierced her. The Bellas are mostly gone, living their own lives. She was crying harder now and her breaths are getting shorter, she grabbed a Kleenex to blow her nose, and another to wipe her tears.

 _If I'm going to lose my singing voice_ , _then I won't be able to teach again, and I won't be a Bella anymore, I won't ever belong again, not even as legacy! My life will have no…meaning!_ Another flashback crossed her mind to the time when they were doing that disastrous gig for the senior's home. She was highly stressed and confused back then too with many thoughts jammed into her head right before their performance, similar to what was happening now. " _If we fail this, then we won't win the Worlds, and if we don't win the Worlds, there will be no more Bellas, and without the Bellas, then my life would have had no… "_ She remembered she cannot say exactly what was on her mind; " _my life would have had no more_ _Beca Mitchell"_. Flo attempted to help her along by suggesting 'malaria', but Chloe managed to complete her sentence with the word 'meaning', without embarrassing the DJ who was feeling just as stressed and underprepared.

What happened back then was nothing compared to this, Chloe felt a true feeling of devastation and for the first time in life, she felt the urge and the need to shut out everyone, to be left entirely alone to deal with the situation. She lost a sense of belonging; the one thing that ties her to work, to friends and to the Bellas is being stripped from her. Yes, she has no more meaning for life.

Whatever the doctor said afterwards became a haze, she only remembered that she would need to make the decision within a month so they could operate on her before the tumor spreads.

She inadvertently did what Beca had always been good at, to run and shut everyone one out. She resigned from her teaching post immediately to serve the 2 weeks notice period required of her. It came as a shock to the entire teaching staff as well as her students but Chloe never told them the truth, not wanting them to remember her as the singing teacher who would soon no longer sing. She cited family emergency as her reason to anyone who asked.

Chloe then excused herself from everything else (the musical group and volunteer work) and stayed at home in the evenings, focused only on giving her best and last "hoorah" in the final 2 weeks of her teaching job. She went through past recordings of her voice and made new recordings of herself while singing for future keepsake. She even changed her phone number; because of all people, the Bellas would be the ones affecting her the most. She did not have the heart to tell them what was happening to her, this was not nodes, but CANCER! What more can she do or talk to them about once she is no longer able to sing or maybe even speak properly for that matter. Their sympathy will only shatter her more, making her feel even more outcast.

She had planned on moving too, to really run away from everyone. The house she was living in could be sold for a good price and she can move to somewhere small away from Atlanta to start a completely new life where nobody knew she could sing, then she will live out the rest of her life as a dancer, and hopefully forget about the Bellas and Beca, and maybe find love once again. This was the only plan that would keep her going.

It was as if fate won't leave her be for Fat Amy suddenly showed up just two days after Chloe tendered her resignation and changed her phone.

Fat Amy had planned on surprising the former Bellas. She had visited Legacy and the new batch of Bellas at Barden, made quite an impression with the new group of girls before she called Chloe to check where the redhead is. Unable to reach her, she decided to just drop by at Chloe's place during the evening when she's likely off work. She had hoped Chloe would be psyched to see her, given how much the redhead loved surprises. Then they would ring up Aubrey and Flo and have a small get-together before she leaves for New York in a couple of days. Fat Amy had been looking forward to this small reunion. The minute Chloe opened the door, Fat Amy immediately sensed something was not quite right.

Chloe looked more disorientated seeing her than surprised, and her house was somewhat in disarray. Fat Amy roomed with the redhead long enough to know that she was generally a neat and tidy person, this was unlike her. Things were off the shelves, stuff were placed all over a coffee table in the living room. Several stacks of books laid in the corner, the couch had a bunch of folded up laundry on it, leaving only one seat out of three uncovered. It wasn't a complete mess, but it looked like things were deliberately misplaced. Chloe moved one stack of laundry to a chair close-by to allow room for Fat Amy to sit.

"What's up Ginger? Doing some reorganizing?" Fat Amy mused, looking around her as she took her seat.

"Yeah, just clearing some stuff, much of it's gathering dust so was thinking of getting rid of some of the things that's just laying around." Chloe did not want to tell the big Bella that she was moving, "Sorry you had to see my place in this state, wasn't expecting visitors, but what are you doing here back in Atlanta?"

"Was in town for a commercial shoot, wanna surprise the old gang while I'm here. So here I am!"

"That's very sweet of you, Amy, it's…nice to see you again." Chloe smiled but the other Bella could no longer feign her sense of unease, this is not the Chloe Beale she used to know. The girl had lost her usual lively charm, she hadn't even given the big girl a hug when they greeted at the door, and something about her voice…Fat Amy couldn't pinpoint it but it sounded like she was suffering an onset of a cold or flu, or recovering from one. It sounded slightly different, not the chirpy, high-pitched voice she was accustomed to.

"Chloe, what's going on? You….sound different, and you look ….sad." Chloe coughed, diverting her eyes as she did so but Fat Amy waited until the redhead had to say something to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Well, I didn't plan on telling any of you, but since you're now here…"Chloe had truly not expected to tell somebody so soon, if at all, yet she could not come up with an excuse quickly enough to cover up her predicament, she knew Fat Amy noticed her voice change. She turned to face Fat Amy and with a deep breath, she said the words she had been dreading to say, "I have cancer. I have vocal cord cancer."

Fat Amy's eyes widened and sat back, in shock, "No way…Chloe, you're so..so healthy, you do cardio and shit, you don't smoke, you only drink at parties, tell me this ain't true." Chloe didn't look up nor did she reply, her silence meant she was not joking.

"B…but…how long have you known?" Fat Amy whispered.

"Since Monday." Chloe coughed again, "it's not life-threatening." She did not want the big girl to feel sorry for her.

"Thank god!" Fat Amy got up and took the girl in her arms, she was clearly relieved to know it was not the incurable kind. Chloe hugged her back "So whaddya need to do?" It then dawned on Fat Amy that this was cancer in the vocal cords, and she started to piece together why Chloe looked so desolate. "You're going to lose your voice?"

"My singing voice. Doctor said I'll need to go through surgery and radiotherapy, I won't be able to speak for 2 weeks after surgery, but they'll do what they can to keep my talking voice. But it's unlikely I….could sing…like ever again." The finality of her sentence brought Fat Amy to tears, as Chloe looked away, trying to withhold hers too. She had cried many times to herself the past week and it made her tired each time. She had never cried so much in her life.

"Oh my god, Chloe, why didn't you tell us?" This was HUGE, the Bellas HAD to know.

"I didn't know what to say, I mean, I don't want any of you to stop what you're doing and fret over my condition. It's just that I can't really take it, seeing you girls and not be reminded that I can no longer sing again. It depresses me. I feel I no longer have a place in the Bellas, legacy or no, and I just want to be alone, live a life where I won't be reminded of my love for singing."

Fat Amy contemplated what she just heard. She understood where Chloe is coming from. Yet, she disagreed where the Ginger thought she had no place in the Bellas. Being a Bella was for life, the girls would not think of her less even if she completely loses her voice, they would do whatever they can to support her.

"Chloe, you're a Bella for life, with or without your voice. You will always be a Bella in all our fat hearts. Right now, I understand it's hard for you to cope, but you cannot deal with this alone. You need Beca and all of us others to help you get through this!" The mention of Beca's name got Chloe a bit riled up.

"NO! Please, Amy, don't tell anyone. I don't want anyone to know, not even Beca! I can deal with this alone! I can! I had it all planned out already!" She had to stop to cough.

"Chloe, listen to me! You need to stop killing yourself to accommodate others. How much have you done for the Bellas? How much have you done for Beca? How much have you let others do things for you? You go out of your way to help and appease others, what about yourself? NOW is the time to let others help you!"

"I….I can't! Not now, I am not ready to see anyone, I cannot even live with myself knowing that sooner or later I couldn't sing, I simply can't. Please!" Chloe was now sobbing! Fat Amy placed her arm around her shoulder and patted her. She did not have the heart to press the girl further.

After she calmed a bit, Fat Amy asked her, "When will you start treatment? When's the surgery? Should you even be using your voice much now?"

"One month from now…I can handle this, Fat Amy… and yeah I can talk and still sing, just not excessively. Promise me you won't tell anyone, not Aubrey and especially not Beca! They're so busy with work, and Beca's in LA now, with Jesse, on her way to be a successful music producer, she doesn't have time for this! She doesn't need this!" Chloe looked at her imploringly.

"Shhhh….take a breather! Look, I won't tell anyone, at least not until you're ready. But now I know about all this, you really shouldn't keep hidin' your feelings, Chloe! You've got to stop killing yourself!" Fat Amy decided to venture into Chloe's long-kept secret, it has been 6 years and the girl has never once given up on the DJ, it's time to come to terms with that and make the girl come clean so she no longer has to bottle it up inside. "Beca meant a lot to you, didn't she? Even now."

"What? Yes, I mean all of you do….the Bellas had been my family for 7 years!" Chloe blushed, not quite sure why the Aussie kept bringing up the DJ.

"But Beca is special. Come on Chloe, don't think that I don't know the main reason you cannot tell the rest of the girls is partly if not entirely because of her. I read your journal, I knew, I mean ALL the girls knew you have this thing for Beca. It's been 6 years, when are you going to tell us, or tell her?"

"You read my journal?!" Chloe covered her face, not certain if she's more embarrassed by getting busted now or by the things she wrote all those years she's been crushing on Beca Mitchell.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Alright, I'll come clean too now. My parents sent me only what was enough for me to get my tuition, books, and lunch and dinner stubs. I was starving and tried getting a part-time job to get more cash so I can buy me some breakfast, but nobody hired me, they say I was a klutz, _that_ or work schedule conflicted with Bellas rehearsal. So, I took a 10 or 20 each month from you to feed myself. I could pay you back now, if you want…." It was Fat Amy's turn to look abashed.

"Uh…it's okay Amy, I sometimes did wonder where my money went. Glad you cleared that up…"Chloe coughed again but continued, "So, you came across my journal…"

"Well, I didn't mean to read it, it dropped open one time and I realized you wrote entries about Beca. I cannot help being curious, so I read it all, basically until Beca forced me to room with her. I wanted to help you, when the little idiot talked about Jesse or that DSM German chick, I tried changing the topic for you or interrupting her. You do not know how many times I tried to create opportunities for you both to be together, to talk."

"I….but how did the other girls know?" Chloe just remembered Fat Amy mentioning that. She cannot believe she was so bad at keeping her crush under wraps.

"Er…it was obvious, Ginger, you two were eye-banging each other, and the little introvert won't let anybody touch her without squirming or complaining, except you. She was always on the lookout for you too, once Denise transferred to another school, she insisted you get the single room while she roomed with me. She always worried about what you think. Beca cared about you more than any other Bella, even while she was rooming with my gorgeous fat ass. You never noticed?"

"That's only because I was co-captain, Amy. She had Jesse, that relationship's solid. Besides, she never mentioned being bisexual or gay, she was only sexually confused by DSM's Kommissar, and that was all the queerness she really showed."

"Come on Chloe, lesbihonest here, you think Jesse is really the right person for Beca?"

"No, but Beca won't leave him, she also kissed him on multiple occasions AND she initiated it, Beca loved Jesse and I only wanted her to be happy."

"Ever thought she only forced herself on him because she's a weirdo trying to eliminate her feelings for you? She tolerates the boy. I questioned her once why she deals with his shit and she said her parents divorce led her to believe that relationships should be about tolerance. Her dad gave up on her mom and remarried, she thought he didn't make the effort to deal with things he disagreed with or didn't like. She didn't want to follow in his footsteps nor did she want her first relationship to fail.

"Her first relationship?" Chloe raised her eyebrows, not quite believing that Beca had only one formal relationship.

"Yeah, your DJ is antisocial, remember? She didn't really have friends until she met us and Jesse was the first who tried to court her. Then again, he also tried to change her."

"Why would he do that? Bec's awesome just the way she is, I would never change her in a million years." She smiled at the thought of her, for the first time since Monday she forgot about her own tragedy. Fat Amy was glad she was hitting the right chords.

"Yeah, the frustrating little twerp is stubborn and blind as a bat! The girls have pooled money to bet on when they're gonna break-up. I put most of my money on this year!"

"You're betting on her break-up?" Chloe glowered, not enthused they took part of Beca's life as some form of entertainment.

"Cynthia-Rose started it. Look Chloe, don't be mad at us. We've watched you two really into each other for 4 years up-close, we all want you both to be happy and find your way to each other, we just sometimes get impatient because you two are sooooo sloooooow in admitting it." Chloe's resentment subsided. _How can I admit it? The girl's still with Jesse and what if Bec never felt the same way, I cannot risk ruining our friendship_. A look of sadness swept across the redhead's face once more as reality drifted back to her. _Now I have cancer and will lose my voice, I'm even less to her than before_. _She's a rising star while I'm a used-up remnant of a Bella. Maybe, we're just not meant to be_.

Fat Amy saw she was quickly losing the Ginger to negative thoughts. "When's the last time you spoke to Beca?"

"This past weekend, we texted." Chloe seemed to guess that the big girl wondered why Beca wouldn't have noticed her voice change like she did. "I changed my phone on Tuesday, you won't be able to reach me on my old phone anymore. I don't want them to figure out."

"Gosh, Chloe, you're being dead serious with not telling us or not letting us find out! You disappearing won't help, ya know? They'll all be wondering where you are. Especially Beca! She couldn't do without you. Sooner or later, they'll worry and look for you and like me, you'll be dealing with a face-off situation. That's gotta be much harder."

"I was going to move out, I was hoping you girls would never find me. I'm already packing, you see? I….never expected you coming to visit me, Amy." Indeed, Chloe never thought that one of the Bellas would suddenly show up on her doorstep.

Fat Amy would not relent now that she knew what was going on with the redhead, but she was also careful not to give any more pressure to the frail emotional girl in front of her.

"I hate to do this, but I do need to get back to NYC this Saturday for work. But Chloe, let me stay with you these two days, you don't have family and I can be your family while we figure out what to do next, okay? I remember you've got an extra room, I'll sleep there so my snoring won't bother you. We can talk and I can look after you. I had planned on calling up Aubrey and Flo once I've surprised you, I'll cancel that. They don't know I'm coming anyway." Chloe looked at the Aussie Bella beside her, the big girl genuinely wanted to help her and was willing to keep her condition a secret.

"Thank you." Chloe said in acquiescence and hugged her.

Fat Amy went back to her hotel, got her things, checked out and rushed back to Chloe's as fast as she could, making sure she saved Chloe's new number to her phone, she had half-heartedly wanted to share it to the group chat but she knew Chloe would lose her mind if the rest of the Bellas knew, especially Beca. She had a promise to keep.

That night, after dinner together and chatting about old times and more recent things happening while the two girls were apart, Chloe decided to call it a night since she needed to head to school early in the morning. Fat Amy, still not accustomed to sleeping so early laid on the bed thinking about the events that just transpired, when she heard Chloe singing in her bedroom next door. The girl will not give up singing even when she's soon to lose her voice, but she sounded as beautiful as could be, even when she made a small cough mid-way through. Fat Amy recognized the song, Chloe couldn't have chosen a more depressing number.

 _When you were here before  
Couldn't look you in the eye  
You're just like an angel  
Your skin makes me cry_

 _You float like a feather  
In a beautiful world  
I wish I was special  
You're so very special_

 _But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo  
What the hell am I doing here?  
I don't belong here_

 _I don't care if it hurts  
I want to have control  
I want a perfect body  
I want a perfect soul_

 _I want you to notice  
When I'm not around  
You're so very special  
I wish I was special_

 _But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo.  
What the hell am I doing here?  
I don't belong here, oh oh_

 _She's, she's running out again, oh  
I say, she's running out  
She runs runs runs runs  
Runs…_

 _Whatever makes you happy  
Whatever you want  
You're so very special  
Yeah, I wish I was special_

 _But I'm a creep, I said it, I'm a weirdo,  
What the hell am I doing here?  
I don't belong here  
I don't belong here_

Fat Amy wept quietly, slouched against the wall adjacent to Chloe's room, as she pressed her ear to the door and her phone's microphone to the gap below the connecting door to Chloe's room. _Beca Mitchell, you better turn your tiny ass around and save this girl._ And that was how Fat Amy spent the rest of her Atlanta trip, at Chloe's house, consoling the redhead as much as she could before returning home to New York.

Two weeks later, Chloe received a voice message from the Aussie telling her she's coming back and asking her to consider telling the DJ. She thought about the 6 years she had secretly been in love with Beca. It had all been bittersweet memories but soon Chloe will be a changed person and clinging to them will not allow her to face her new life ahead. _I have not said anything to her about how I felt for 6 years, why should I now? What good will it do?_ With a broken smile, she continued with her packing.

 **A/N: An emotional and sad chapter (sorry guys, I teared up myself writing this too!) but things will pick up hopefully, next chapter will be back to Beca's POV, let's hope she does go "Get the Girl"!**


	4. Beca: It's All Coming Back To Me

**A/N: Shorter chapter this time. Beca's finally getting a grip on things, so look out for that.**

Beca turned off the alarm on her phone. She had woken roughly 10 minutes before it rang and was thinking about the dreams she had as she stared at the ceiling.

One of them was with the Bellas at Aubrey's camp. For some reason, they were back there to 'find harmony' again. Only this time, Beca was no longer under pressure or stress to get a demo out to her boss. She actually enjoyed the activities and Chloe beamed at her the entire time as the Ginger had paired up with her for every team-building exercise Aubrey had them go through.

It made her happy to see Chloe so jovial, and even happier still that she's teamed up with the only person who wouldn't make her wince during close physical contact. Chloe is the only one she's comfortable being close to for an extended period of time. Not even Jesse could touch her for over 5 minutes without her feeling so extremely awkward that she would find some excuse to push him away.

It worried her because she and her boyfriend had never been physically intimate. She knew how college kids couldn't wait to have sex, but the notion of sleeping with Jesse petrified her. She felt guilty because all the Treblemakers seemed to have plenty of action and so did some of the Bellas. Yet, she had given nothing to Jesse.

Sometimes out of guilt, she would kiss him, and she sensed how he would want to take it further if their kiss went longer. She would then stop and pretend she had something to do or somewhere to go. Jesse had been respectful and never forced himself on her or even suggested they get it on, which she was extremely grateful for and why she tried her very best to work things out with him.

It's not that she was disinterested in sex, she got turned on once by Luke, the station master at college where she worked part-time for 2 years. But he was capable of turning on any girl on campus with his British accent, good looks and formidable six-pack. Jesse had managed to turn her on once but it got awkward very quickly as soon as he started caressing and fondling her.

But the time that made her actually wanting to go all the way was when Chloe barged into her shower, completely nude. She had not meant to ogle at the Ginger until the redhead made her sing, then sang along with her. Chloe's voice somehow calmed her jitters and as soon as they finished their brief duet, Beca's eyes couldn't help glance at the perfect feminine form before her, to the part where her eyes had been averting. Chloe Beale couldn't look more beautiful with her flawless skin, and a figure that any woman would die for. It took only a millisecond but it was enough, Beca was dazed. She felt a hot rush shooting up her head and then spreading all over her body till it all rested between her legs, and she quickly looked away biting her lip.

As if sensing the girl's embarrassment returning, Chloe said, "Oh yeah, I'm pretty confident about _all this_." "You should be." Beca replied, taking one more look at the perfection before her as she tried to hide her arousal. Chloe turned around to hand her a towel, forgetting that the girl had not showered yet. "I still need to shower." Beca was praying a cold shower right that instant could wash away whatever she was feeling, but the redhead continued to look on admiringly, not planning on leaving until a man's voice interrupted them.

Chloe had also been mesmerized by the short Brunette herself that she had completely forgotten he was there, and Beca was too stunned and aroused from the sight that she did not think to question why a guy was in the ladies' room. Realizing he was Chloe's boyfriend though did finally kill Beca's fantasy, even if Chloe never mentioned Tom again after that semester. But Beca remembered the episode clearly. It came to mind whenever she felt something similar but she tried convincing herself it was merely an individual incident, that Chloe was her best friend, and that she's in a straight relationship with Jesse.

Beca's second dream was also about Chloe Beale, who somehow found her way back to Tom, they had sent her a wedding invitation. Beca's first reaction was complete disappointment and disgust. _WTF! Gross! What the hell does Chlo see in that guy?_ Tom was not bad-looking, a typical jock, but he wasn't very smart or talented either. Outwardly they looked to be a great match, but Beca knew better. It all felt like her former co-captain had decided to settle for this dude just to get married and it made Beca sick.

To Beca, not even a royal prince deserves Miss Beale, but again, who is she to say to whom the redhead should marry. Chloe's 27, she's of good marriageable age and she is not looking to advance her career as Beca did. In the dream, Beca could only think of crashing and halting the wedding and getting the bride to escape with her. She would rather take care of Chloe for life than to see the Ginger settling for some unworthy guy. In fact, Beca realized that she didn't look forward to seeing Chloe marry off at all now with this bombshell of a wedding invitation laying in front of her. It sounded ridiculous but Beca's more protective of Chloe than all other Bellas. Again, she didn't know why. Beca had surmised that the bubbly redhead was always too nice and appeasing that the DJ would be wary of people taking advantage of her.

As she laid on her bed, she realized how atypical her relationship with Chloe had been. Beca had gotten so used to having Chloe around that when the DJ moved to LA, she reverted back to the closeted life she had before college. Jesse and some of the new friends he made in LA were pretty much her entire social life, until she started growing more distant from him as well.

Outside of work, she did not feel the need to interact with anyone and she was too busy to feel lonely. When she needed advice, Chloe is the first person she would think to ask. But as time wore on, Beca felt a sense of guilt each time she chatted Chloe up, it's seemed like she's calling to ask for help only. Of course, the Ginger was more than happy to give her exactly what she needed but the DJ couldn't help but feel bad she couldn't do likewise for her. Chloe did live a pretty straightforward and simple life and had everything well put together, she was more interested in listening to what Beca had to say than to talk about herself, claiming her life to be boring and less dreamy than the DJ's; which in a sense was true. Chloe was less ambitious, and was leading a more solitary life.

Beca crawled out of her bed, not feeling too pleased about the bad dream she had but decided to focus on the demo she needed to send out that night. And only Chloe could save her now from being stuck in brain blockage for days. She checked the time in Atlanta, _noon fifty_. _Chloe's at lunch so now is a good time to call_. Beca rang up the girl.

"We're sorry. You have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. Please check the number and try your call again." _What the hell?_ Beca was certain she dialed through her stored contacts, it's impossible she dialed the wrong number. She was about to try again when she received an incoming call. It was Fat Amy.

"Yo, Amy! What's wrong with Chloe's phone, I gave her a call and her number's no longer in service."

"Beca, listen to me. You won't reach Chloe with that number any longer."

"What? Why? What's happened to Chlo?" Fat Amy heard a stroke of panic in the DJ's voice.

"Well, it's why I'm calling you, Big BM." Fat Amy continued, "I'm sending you a recording. You listen to it. I cannot tell you anything beyond that."

"I've got no time for games, Amy! Just tell me what is going on!"

"Look, if you ever really cared about Chloe, you listen to what I sent you. If you're as awesome as I think you are, you'll figure it all out without me tellin' you. I'll be in Atlanta on Monday. Beca, don't disappoint by not being there."

"You're creepin' me out, now I need to be in Atlanta in 3 days?! What for?"

"Just stop talkin' and listen to the recording, okay? I trust you'll get it. Really cannot say any more. Chloe wouldn't let me. Good luck, Beca." Fat Amy hung up. Beca couldn't believe what was happening. _Why is the Aussie suddenly so cryptic? And what is this recording?_

Her phone had a new notification indicating she received a message. Fat Amy had indeed sent her a sound file.

Beca played it directly from her phone, pushing the volume to the max.

 _When you were here before_ _  
_ _Couldn't look you in the eye_

 _It was unmistakably Chloe's voice and Beca recognized the song immediately._ She kept listening.

 _But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo,_ _  
_ _What the hell am I doing here?_ _  
_ _I don't belong here_ _  
_ _I don't belong here_

By the time Chloe finished, Beca had a fresh trail of tears running down her face. She had not cried since watching the Breakfast Club, a movie portraying the futility of non-conformity. Her dad, Aubrey, Jesse had all expected her to conform to their expectations or to societal norms. Yet the Bellas proved to her otherwise, especially Chloe (and later even Aubrey). They had embraced Beca's quirkiness, her alternative side and what she was good at. All of it. All of her! They showed her that she could still be a basket case or a weirdo and she didn't need a makeover to shine. _The endings are not always the best part_. This she realized even before breaking it off with Jesse.

There was a deep sorrow in Chloe's singing, but what was most disheartening were the lyrics. _Why would Chloe be singing_ _this?_ This was very unlike her. The words were nothing that Chloe would say to her, yet it sounded like she's speaking for herself and THAT triggered the sadness swelling up inside the DJ. " _I don't belong here?"_ _That's like the antithesis of Miss Beale_. The redhead had always been inclusive, approachable, and openhearted. She wouldn't tell Beca she didn't belong, she wouldn't tell herself that either.

Beca also noticed something strange about her voice and breathing, it was lower pitch than normal, a certain hoarseness to it, she sounded raspier, and the DJ did not miss the cough midway through the song, something that Chloe would never do (or she would at least try muffling). _Something is terribly wrong_.

Fat Amy had said there'd be clues as to what was going on with Chloe in the recording, so the DJ stifled her tears, wiped her face with her hand and pressed replay. She listened to it once again, and took extra care to run through the lyrics word-by-word.

 _I don't care if it hurts_ _  
_ _I want to have control_ _  
_ _I want a perfect body_ _  
_ _I want a perfect soul_

Beca paused the playback. Chloe was shutting out everyone and she was taking drastic measures to do so, and these lines couldn't be clearer as to why. Something is wrong with Chloe's body or health and it must be damn serious. Beca opened her laptop and googled "hoarse voice, shortness of breath, coughing". There it was, the 5th and 6th search results caught her eye immediately, cancer. Either lung cancer or laryngeal cancer. Beca did not major in medicine but she knew well enough that cancer could be severe and deadly. _Fuck!_

Breaking into tears once again, she grabbed her phone and typed a message to Fat Amy, trying to control the erupting emotions inside her.

"Cancer?"

It took 5 seconds for the Aussie to reply with a solemn "Yes."

At this point, Beca could no longer hold back her tears, and began sobbing hysterically. She never thought of the possibility that her favorite redhead could be dying and Chloe was such an angel. How could this be happening? How could life be so unfair to someone as loveable as Chloe. She felt angry, hurt, and heart-broken. She rather it'd be her that fate toyed with than her former Bella co-captain.

Her phone buzzed again notifying her of a new message from Fat Amy.

"She wouldn't let me tell you or the rest of us. Found out only when I tried to surprise visit her. I know this news is hard to take, Beca. Just stay calm, it's still early stage and not life-threatening, only thing is, she'll lose her singing voice."

Beca did not know if this new information helped any. She knew how much Chloe's voice meant to the Ginger, losing it might as well be a death sentence for the girl. She could see why the redhead had decided to isolate herself, the whole song made sense now. Yet Beca couldn't agree with any of it.

Another buzz from her phone.

"Beca, reply me. Don't do anything crazy or dumb. Chloe needs you and you need to stay strong. PLEASE!"

"Heading to Atlanta right away." Beca quickly replied.

"Deal with whatever unfinished business first, if you're going, you need full focus on Chloe, you got me? No distractions." The DJ understood what Fat Amy meant.

She recalled the time at the camp when she had been so pressured to produce something original for her boss at Residual Heat. She was growing increasingly frustrated by the minute as Aubrey got them to do various activities, all seeming to last forever and none actually helping the Bellas on their set for the Worlds. The camp was in the middle of nowhere, and there were no power outlets for Beca to plug in her laptop or equipment to get down to business. She had to come up with everything inside her head which was immensely difficult. Whenever Chloe sang, her voice was so impactful it cleansed out everything that was in her mind and Beca had to plug her ears to try to shut it out. That ended when she cracked under all the stress, and fought with Chloe. _There will absolutely be none of that this time round._

"Ok." she reassured the Big Bella. _I need to stay strong, I need to put my shit together and be there for Chloe._

She opened the work-in-progress demo due that night and started to piece something together. Somehow, the shocking revelation had given her a surge in productivity. Even in distress, Chloe Beale managed to indirectly save the day. Beca finally knew why.

She never wondered how the other Bellas' voices hardly affected her, none but Chloe's, until now. Chloe had always been singing to her. Every song she sang outside of Bellas' set was directed at Beca Mitchell;  
\- Miley Cyrus 'Party in the USA' on their way to ICCA semi-finals (because Chloe knew of Beca's dream to go to LA)  
\- Bruno Mars 'Just the Way You Are' during their pool mash-up (because Chloe thought Beca was great the way she is, and she sang it so frequently that it got into Aubrey's head as well)  
\- Natalie Imbruglia's 'Torn' at the retreat (because Chloe wanted to be a little more upfront about her feelings but got blown off by stressed-out and agitated Beca)  
\- Beca's 'Cups' audition song at the campfire (because Chloe knew Beca would be leaving her)  
and now Radiohead's 'Creep' (because Chloe is saying goodbye to Beca as she felt she wasn't good enough for her anymore).  
Beca Mitchell finally got the message Chloe had been trying to convey all these years.

 _I've been a bloody idiot! I've been so blind!_ She wiped the tears that continued to stream from her eyes with her forearm as she tried to was finally clarity in all the flashbacks and dreams and feelings she had in the past six years as well, all pertaining to a certain redhead. Beca couldn't believe she had been so sidetracked by her career and her obstinacy in making Jesse's relationship work that she had not seen how everything pointed to one singular point and fact. _I am in love with Chloe Beale._

 **A/N: Yay, Beca's finally coming to terms with her feelings! We'll see how she'll handle the situation now and hope she doesn't mess up again. Fat Amy's POV for next chapter, the Aussie is really a big help and is more ingenious than what the movies let on.**


	5. Fat Amy: We're Going Home

**A/N: This chapter will be shorter as there isn't much backstory, mainly action! Fat Amy is calling in the troops to help out with the situation, we're getting a Bellas reunion soon!**

The sense of relief knowing that she was no longer the only one harboring Chloe's massive secret gave Fat Amy a boost of confidence to face what's to go down in the coming weeks. Now that Beca knew, it meant that there would be less repercussions letting the rest of the Bellas informed as well. That would take a lot of pressure off, but it still was not for her to directly tell them.

Beca would have to take the reins, yet the girl could also be annoyingly clueless. Fat Amy knew she had to get down to work on the DJ. The tiny Brunette had told her she was flying out to Atlanta as soon as she could. She had a demo product to hand in to her boss which would be reviewed by a client on Saturday. Beca had arranged for the earliest flight departing for Atlanta as soon as that client meeting was over. She would arrive and hopefully see Chloe first thing on Sunday, one day before Fat Amy arrives.

This was all according to plan. Fat Amy wanted the two star-crossed lovers to work out their issues first before getting all the other girls to join in. The only problem was, not all the Bellas were in Atlanta, she had to inform them soon enough so they can be there for her when Chloe would need their support the most.

She started a new group chat; adding Aubrey, Stacie, Cynthia-Rose, Lilly, Jessica, Ashley and Flo. She left Emily out on purpose because she did not want to affect the girl while she's leading the new Bellas through ICCAs and she was certain Chloe would not appreciate if all the new-generation Bellas knew about her condition.

Fat Amy did trust Emily. Legacy had been tight-lipped about Fat Amy's visit a couple weeks ago. The big Bella told her not to divulge to anyone the fact that she was in Atlanta until she gave her the signal, so as not to ruin her surprise. Needless to say, Fat Amy never gave the signal after knowing what's going on with Chloe. Emily respected the senior Bellas with vehemence and she had looked up to Beca and Chloe the most; this would be devastating news to her and Fat Amy's heart can only handle that much heartbreaking at a time.

She texted the girls.

 _ **Fat Amy:** Emergency retreat girls! We need to aca-huddle pronto! We've got a serious problem in our hands._

 _ **Flo:** Sex, drugs, money, and murder, which is it?_

 _ **Fat Amy:** NO! It's Chloe and Beca._

 _ **Aubrey:** Is that why they're not on this chat?_

 _ **Flo:** Lemme guess, kidnapped by a drug cartel or prostitution ring._

 _ **Jessica:** Okay, what's going on with them two? Finally admitting they're in love?_

 _ **Aubrey:** Are they? I did feel something was going on between those two!_

 _ **Stacie:** They need sex advice?_

 _ **Cynthia-Rose:** Hey, that bet still on? That Jesse-boy and Beca reached splitsville yet?_

 _ **Aubrey:** You guys have a bet?! _

_**Fat Amy:** Not funny, bitches! I need you in Atlanta as fast as you could, this Monday if possible. This is big Bella business!_

 _ **Aubrey:** What the heck is going on, Amy? Don't keep us in suspense!_

 _ **Fat Amy:** You've got to trust me, all of you need to be in Atlanta by next week. I cannot say why yet, you'll find out when you get there!_

 _ **Cynthia-Rose:** For reals, I've got work lined up till Christmas in Maine. This is super aca-short notice!_

 _ **Ashley:** Fat Amy, can't u just tell us?_

 **Fat Amy:** NO, I CAN'T. But you're gonna aca-regret not making it out there. If you ever consider yourself a Bella, get your skinny aca-butts back home! I'm not kidding!

 _ **Aubrey:** You're scaring me, are those two okay? Should I go check on them?_

 _ **Fat Amy:** NO! Under no circumstances find Chloe or Beca until we've all aca-huddled, believe me for once!_

 _ **Stacie:** OMG, ARE THEY IN DANGER?! _

_**Lilly:** My grandpa can raise people from the dead._

 _ **Fat Amy:** If they are, we wouldn't be waiting till next week! Keep calm Bellas, for now!_

 _ **Flo:** Ok, Legacy's not in this chat, should we let her know?_

 _ **Fat Amy:** I'll inform her when it's time. Just book your tickets. I'll arrange hotel. Aubrey and Flo, you're checking in too!_

 _ **Jessica:** But how long will we stay?_

 _ **Fat Amy:** I'm on a 3-week hiatus but I guess it's up to you how long to stay, just try to make the time next week and preferably the coming two weeks._

 _ **Flo:** I'm okay, just need to tell mi marido, no problemo._

 _ **Stacie:** I'm flexible, can pole-dance anywhere really. I'm in._

 _ **Aubrey:** Yep, I'm in._

 _ **Jessica:** Ashley and I are in, then we'll alternate the last two weeks, we cannot close shop for too long._

 _ **Lilly:** I'm in too. I can teleport._

 _ **Fat Amy:** CR?_

 _ **Cynthia-Rose:** Alright, aca-bitches, just help me explain to the wife when I get in trouble._

Fat Amy put aside her phone, her worries alleviated somewhat. The Bellas are heading back together for the first time in 2 years and the promptness in which they agreed to such an ad-hoc meeting with so few details was a great sign. It showed they haven't changed much, their unity was not lost.

 _Now back to Beca_. She hoped the girl have got it together this time, and could really help Chloe pull through treatments and the prospect of never being able to sing again. It was apparent the tiny Brunette cared for the Ginger like no other, the urgency in which she set out to Atlanta exemplified as much.

Fat Amy's only concern was that after all this, Beca would just go back to being her old self again, especially with Jesse still in the picture. Everybody vouched for Chloe and Beca, even Aubrey now is in the know, but Jesse seemed like a nice guy as well. _Is it right to instigate something to break them apart?_ Fat Amy killed that thought instantly.

Beca would need to decide on her own, and all the girls could do is get her to realize what exactly she wants and what is good for her, _intervention-style._ Fat Amy's mind raced to think how they can do that in light of this very delicate situation. This was harder than she thought.

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this one, things will get a bit more dramatic going down, we'll find out how Chloe's doing her end in the next chapter.**


	6. Chloe: When I See You Again

**A/N: Alright folks, here's the update and things will get a bit intense. Chloe's meeting Beca first time in months (nearly a year) since Beca left for LA.**

Chloe's last day at school was an emotional one. All the kids she had taught, mostly adorable 2nd and 3rd graders, produced a farewell basket for her with lots of treats and a compiled book of letters and drawings they made telling her how awesome their Miss Beale was and how lucky they were to have her. She couldn't stop herself from tearing up when they presented it to her. She was near bawling when they did a small performance at the end of the day singing the The Three Degrees' classic "When Will I See You again" only changing the lyrics to something more appropriate for the occasion.

 _Hoo-oo ha-a ha-a hoo-oo_

 _Precious moments_

 _When will we see you again?_

 _When will we share precious moments?_

 _Will we have to wait forever?_

 _Will we have to suffer?_

 _And cry the whole night through?_

 _When will we see you again?_

 _When will our hearts beat together?_

 _Could we be friends forever?_

 _Is this our beginning?_

 _Or is this the end?_

 _When will we see you again?_

The song played in her head for the entire weekend after she left school. Despite her plan to run away to live a completely new life as a dancer instead of a singer, she couldn't help feeling saddened about that prospect. _Leaving something you love, even voluntarily, could be such a bummer_ , and nobody experienced this as much as Chloe. She left the Bellas, she left her job, she will leave singing, she will leave her home, and most difficult of them all, she was leaving Beca, a crush of 6 years and still counting.

Efficient as usual, Chloe had packed over half the things in her house. Many would go to donations; her own possessions amounted to only 10 medium-sized boxes. That was all she would have after moving. She opened one of the boxes, putting in the letters, drawings and photos with the kids into a box that was three-quarters full. Using a marker, she marked the box as "Keepsakes" and closed the flaps on top.

With her palms resting against the edge of the box, she looked out the window from her room, the sky was grey and what was a slight sprinkle of rain in the morning had become a steady drizzle. _Depressing_. She went back downstairs to fix herself a quick sandwich for lunch. She didn't really have much appetite but forced herself to eat anyway, as she checked her upcoming appointments. She had to be at the hospital in three days for a pre-op routine.

Chloe was not looking forward to the tests she was required to do before her surgery; blood tests, a heart trace (or ECG), and a chest x-ray all to be performed 2 weeks before the operation. She felt frightened. The nurse told her that these tests were to ensure she will make good recovery from the surgery, and Chloe just wasn't certain if she even wanted to go through the procedure. _At least I can still sing now_. Her thoughts were interrupted by her doorbell. Someone was at the door.

Not sure who would be looking for her on a rainy Sunday afternoon, she was about to ignore it, assuming it must be a solicitor, when her doorbell rang again, a little bit more persistent this time. Sighing, she put down her sandwich, wiped her hands, and went to the entrance of the house.

Chloe opened the door and her eyes widened upon seeing the person standing in front of her. The tiny Brunette stood there, slightly drenched from the rain. It was none other than Beca Mitchell. And like the girl Chloe knew as much as her habits, Beca wasn't carrying an umbrella.

"Chloe…" Beca searched the agape redhead's eyes as she desperately looked for what to say next, she had tried rehearsing something but it had all gone out the window upon seeing the Ginger standing before her, just as pretty as she was when Beca last saw her, only the Ginger had lost some weight and looked more sullen.

"Wh…what are you doing here?" Chloe broke the silence. There was a slight hint of incredulity in her voice but there was also an obvious annoyance.

"You're not a creep. You're not a weirdo." In her nervousness, Beca blurted out the things that had been repeating in her mind after listening to that melancholic recording sent by Fat Amy a couple of days earlier. Hearing in person Chloe's change in voice also unnerved her. Chloe raised her eyebrows.

"Amy told you, didn't she?" Chloe rolled her eyes, not too pleased that the Big Bella didn't keep her word.

"No! She didn't tell me anything, I sorta figured it out." Beca wanted to explain but Chloe cut her short.

"Well, what do you want, Beca?" The exchange was starting to become awkward, Chloe seemed reluctant to invite her in. She had spotted the rented motorcycle parked at the curb and realized that the DJ had come alone. Beca had told her that she motorbiked to work as downtown LA had pretty bad traffic and scarce parking lots. Chloe had always dreamt of sitting behind Beca, arms around her waist while the DJ sped and zipped through highways and freeways to take her to places. _So much for that fantasy_.

"I…I just wanted…needed to see you, I don't want you to be alone as you go through this." Beca stammered, hoping Chloe would just let her in. But the redhead remained steadfast, pulling the door to give herself just enough space so that Beca couldn't even make out what was inside.

"Beca…I don't want you to sympathize with me."

"I'm not!"Beca realized she spoke too fast and tried to explain herself, "I mean I do feel very sorry and very sad…but I…"

Chloe broke her off again. "Why do you feel sorry and sad? Just because I have cancer?" Chloe gave her what seemed like a feigned smile, "Big deal! Besides, this will soon be over, after treatment."

"I know this is not as easy as you're making it sound to be, Chlo."

It's too late, Beca. I'm moving, away from here, to start a new life."

"Wh..what?", the smaller girl did not know how to react to being informed she's too late and that Chloe is dumping her existing life for a new one. Both these notions crushed her.

"I don't want you to feel sorry for me, I know I probably could never sing again...but I can dance, and you always say I'm a weirdo, well, I am. So why change? Why change now? You're only making me feel…more _different_." That final word hit Beca like an arrow, she was fucking up, and she had to think really fast.

"I'm so sorry I used to be such an idiot, you're no weirdo…., please Chloe..." Beca was grasping for anything she could possibly say to turn the dialog around, this was far from how she pictured the conversation. And Chloe, Beca had never seen the Ginger so unfeeling and so cold.

"It's too late, Bec. It's really just too late. I don't want to get hurt anymore. My decision's final and this is for the best, for both of us."

"I'm so sorry for being a dick, I'm so sorry for being the pathetic fool I was….Chloe" Beca implored, she was about to confess everything to salvage the conversation.

"Please, Beca, go away. You'll only hurt me more by staying. Just go. Don't stay." Chloe turned away and stepped back into the house, closing the door and locking it. She could hardly contain the stony poker expression she was holding. She ran upstairs to her room, covering her mouth in her hand as tears trickled down her face. Burying her head into the pillow, she cried her heart out, muffling the sobs she was making.

 _Why Beca? Why do you have to come to me now? Why do you need to see me in this state? Why do you seek me when I'm spiraling downhill? I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry to shut you out and shun you like this! I'm so sorry but I have no choice! Please forgive me! Then, please, forget about me._

She didn't know when Beca left, she was crying too hard to hear the motorcycle speeding off. All she knew was that she had rejected Beca Mitchell, and that was enough to shatter her heart.

 **A/N: Things do not look good for Beca and Chloe at the moment but trust me, this story will have a happy ending, so don't lose heart. Remember that in PP2, Beca also rejected Chloe so what happened here is in some way karma, but we're all vouching for her to find her way back. Just a bit more patience, and we'll see something beautiful coming from their relationship.**


	7. Beca: Fast Friends

**A/N: Short update to the story as we see what's going on inside the little DJ's mind after her brief encounter with Chloe.**

Beca circled the block around Chloe's house for probably the 20th time. She was completely drenched from the rain but it didn't bother her. She was more shaken by what had happened with Chloe. _It's my fault_. She understood why the redhead didn't want to see her, she understood the damage she had done all those years, never acknowledging that Chloe meant the world to her. _It's all my fucking fault._

What's worse was that she didn't know what to do next. Chloe had made it clear that she didn't want to see her. It hurted Beca when she closed the door on her, just like Jesse had done, but the hurt wasn't from humiliation, it was from a massive feeling of regret, _I deserve it_. Beca knew that her hurt was nothing compared to what Chloe had to go through, Beca hated herself more for being the cause of it.

She reflected on the 4 years they were together as Bellas, Chloe had been nothing but supportive of everything she had done, including her relationship with Jesse, even when it killed her inside. Yet Beca had been too blindsided to notice. _Fucking bonehead._

Never wanting to break their friendship, Chloe kept her feelings under tight wraps, using only songs to convey her thoughts and emotions. Smiling and beaming at Beca when they were together and acting occasionally like a goofball to get the DJ to laugh. She had never forced Beca to take her seriously except that one time when they fought. Even then, she completely forgot why she was upset as soon as she saw Beca in danger. Chloe had never tried to change her or pressure her, she only encouraged her by showing time and time again what Beca's strengths were, even when Beca was slacking.

 _So many signs_ , _so many times Chlo had protected me, stood up for me and cheered on for me, way more than Jesse ever did, Chloe accepted all of me. Everything she did, was for me! And I just took it all for granted._ Beca couldn't feel more disgusted with herself.

She didn't want to leave Chloe alone, she couldn't, knowing Chloe's dealing with so much shit. Yet, Chloe felt that the reason Beca turned up was out of sheer pity, which, given the circumstances does look like it's exactly what she was trying to do. _No wonder she no longer wants to see me_ , _but what can I do? How could I help her? How could I let her know that I feel the same way about her as she did for me?_

Beca kept circling the block, thinking about the past and the many times she screwed up. Her self-doubt growing by the second. _So what if I love Chloe, how could I possibly forgive myself for causing so much pain, how do I even have the audacity to tell her I love her?_

Soon, the streets darkened and she saw that her ride was running out of gas. She rode off the block to look for the nearest gas station, filled her tank and headed back to the hotel. Fat Amy had told her to book that particular one as that's where she would also be staying. Beca texted her. Fat Amy had told the Brunette to provide her with updates.

"Met with Chlo, she wasn't happy to see me and I don't blame her. I just don't know what to do anymore. She probably hates me by now."

"No she doesn't." Fat Amy responded nearly instantly.

"She doesn't want to see me again."

"Don't worry, Big BM. Tell me about it tomorrow, we'll deal with it together. Rest up!" Fat Amy replied.

Beca felt a bit better after the reassurance, Fat Amy's confidence may seem to come in overabundance, but they were mostly well-placed. Beca could only pray this time was no different.

She didn't feel like going out again for dinner and decided to order room service, but nothing on the menu appealed to her, she took a power bar from her backpack and ate that instead, not feeling at all hungry. She hung her drenched clothes in the bathroom and looked in the mirror, a disheveled brunette stared back at her. Compared to Chloe's perfect frame, Beca felt inadequate. _Just what did Chloe see in me?_

She remembered how Aubrey nicknamed her as 'the midget' or 'the hobbit' when they were not on good terms during freshman year. Beca called her 'Aubreycrat' behind her back. Yet Chloe never took part in the name-calling, even though she giggled when Beca told her that's what she's calling the domineering captain. Of all the Bellas, Beca confided in Chloe the most, even early in the relationship. They did become _fast friends_ as Chloe had predicted. Beca thought Chloe was always that welcoming to newcomers, but those words were only meant for her, the redhead didn't bond as much with the rest of the group, much to Beca's discreet delight.

In Beca's eyes, Chloe had always been perfect, like a goddess, sometimes way too good to be true and that's what had kept Beca from approaching or falling for the redhead. Subconsciously, Beca stopped with just admiring from afar. _How can you fall in love with a goddess?_ But she unknowingly did, Chloe had affected her in every way; her moods, her music, her life. Without Chloe, she lost her bearings and was living a façade of a life with no friends and no inspiration. She became a workaholic from the first day she was at LA partly to avoid Jesse but also to distract herself from missing or thinking about Chloe.

It didn't work of course, she was compelled to talk to her and to find inspiration from her, only to feel guilty that she was only ringing up the Ginger with a purpose. The DJ actually worried her little head over what Chloe would think, to the extent that she would overthink how the girl will react. The whole internship fiasco was just one of those instances. She saw a pattern now, shit happens when she suppresses communication with Chloe.

Beca spent the rest of her night wondering how Fat Amy could help. She felt doomed but the Big Bella gave her lingering hope.

 _You're Beca effin' Mitchell! You're the Big BM! That's you! You're awesome!_

Fat Amy's words drifted back. Beca only wished they were true because she had never felt so helpless and so torn than the day Chloe told her to go away.

 **A/N: Fat Amy will be coming to the rescue, and yes, so would the rest of the Bellas! Update coming really soon!**


	8. Fat Amy: How You Get the Girl

**A/N: Apologies for the delay in this update, am travelling for 3 weeks in Hong Kong, but used whatever spare time I could muster to write this. Great news is, Bellas are back.**

The girls were to meet up at Fat Amy's hotel room at 6pm on Monday, including Beca. Prior to that, Fat Amy decided to meet up with the DJ first just to check on her, sensing she might not openly talk to the rest of the Bellas if she didn't get her to open up about herself first.

Beca arrived at around 5pm looking sullen, though she had grabbed enough sleep to not look too haggard. Fat Amy gave her a hearty embrace and quickly let go, knowing how unaccustomed the DJ is to physical intimacy. Beca looked at her appreciatively and Fat Amy quickly invited her into the room.

The voluptuous Bella had booked an executive suite for herself with separate living and seating areas. A bit too spacious even for Fat Amy's standards, Beca noticed. But the DJ was too wrapped around her own dilemma to make anything of it. Fat Amy, after all, is pretty well-recognized in the States as a cast member in SNL and several Broadway shows; the Aussie could afford the luxury.

Beca took a seat in the living area and rested her head against her fist, as Fat Amy poured themselves a drink from the minibar, glancing occasionally at the DJ who did seem like she could use some advice.

"Cheer up Big BM, Ginger will turn around, she just have this stupid idea in her head that she doesn't belong anymore to the Bellas, and she's not worth anything to you anymore." The Aussie handed Beca a gin and tonic.

"I feel I'm to blame, Amy. Last night, I went through everything we've done together and it's clear it's all my goddamn fault!"

"If you mean for being oblivious to Chloe's feelings for you all this time, yeah it is. Like the rest of us could see it, everyone except you! But come on, Beca, you couldn't blame everything on yourself and think that'd help with anything now."

"So what am I to do?! Chlo's serious about not wanting to see me again. She actually said I'll hurt her more."

"And you believe her?" Fat Amy rolled her eyes.

"Um…yeah. I dunno, it's hard when she pushed me away and shut me out…and I deserve to be shunned, all of the Bellas knew and I was just living my own stupid world!"

"She planned on shunning the rest of us too, but she's doing it mainly because of you. So you need to decide what you're going to do 'bout it!" Fat Amy downed her drink, letting her words sink in. "You hungry? 'Cause I could probably eat whatever's in the minibar right now?" The Big Bella grabbed a Snickers bar, ripped it opened and devoured it.

"No, don't feel like eating. I just want to see what I could do for Chlo without fucking-up things more."

"Beca. Look here. What exactly do you want? You've got Jesse, and Chloe's been secretly crushing on you all these years."

"Jesse and I are through, it's over…"

"Oh my god…since when?" Fat Amy tried to feign surprise but her voice hinted more at an exasperated sigh of relief.

"For nearly 2 months." Beca didn't elaborate, she felt that she didn't need to. None of the Bellas had been particularly enthused about hearing what's up between her and Jesse, even when they were all at Barden. "I _need_ to be there for her, I can't just leave her alone facing…facing..." Beca couldn't finish her sentence as tears welled up in her eyes, even she had trouble saying the C-word.

"Shh…I know. Yet, the Ginger would be gone in a snap, if you don't do something fast! I'm sure she has a whole league of suitors lining up outside her door. Once she's off, you can pretty much guarantee she'll settle for whoever comes knocking first just to get her mind off you. You need to figure out what your heart and mind is telling you, not just what's in your head. We're only able to help if you let loose your own feelings."

"We?" Beca gulped. The large room started to make sense now. The Bellas were involved, they were all coming.

"Beca, don't look so horrified! We're the Bellas, we all need to be here to support Chloe. It's just _you_ especially, who could cheer her up and ensure she does nothing rash or stupid!"

"So when are they coming and how much do they know?"

"Nothing yet. They'll all be here in a bit, told them to come at 6." Fat Amy proceeded to tell Beca what happened on her last trip to Atlanta, what Chloe had told her, and how she gathered the girls together, when the room bell rang.

"Bet that's Aubrey, every Bella meeting she shows up at least 15 minutes early like rehearsal." She got up to open the door and it was indeed Aubrey, though surprisingly with Stacie who landed an early flight and decided to meet up with Aubrey first. They were followed by Jessica & Ashley 10 minutes later, then Cynthia-Rose, Flo, and finally Lilly.

Fat Amy decided not to say anything until all of them were there. The girls sensed something was amiss just by seeing Beca, without Chloe, in the room but they were also excited by this ad hoc reunion, and were more than happy to see each other again.

Finally, after greetings and hugs, Aubrey raised the question all the other Bellas had been yearning to know since Fat Amy pinged them.

"So Amy, explain to us why you have us all here, _and_ in such haste, and why isn't Chloe here?" She had her hands to her waist, posing the question like a boss, out of habit.

Fat Amy coughed, not sure where to begin but Beca jumped right in; "Chloe's sick. Early-stage vocal cord cancer."

The girls gasped. The giddiness in the room vanished.

"Not life-threatening, at least not yet." Beca added hoping it would calm down the rising emotions marked on all their faces.

"Oh my god, what?! Why didn't she tell us? Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Aubrey demanded.

"Yeah and where's Legacy, she should know this too!?" Stacie added.

Fat Amy told them the whole story of how she fatefully found out what's going on with Chloe and of the Ginger's plan to leave, and why she didn't say something to the girls immediately. She left out the part about why Emily wasn't told. That part has more to do with Beca and the Brunette could explain it herself. Luckily, the DJ didn't need prompting, she told the girls what happened when she showed up at Chloe's door and why it'd be a better idea to let Emily know after the senior girls dealt with their issues first.

"Amy and I do think it's probably better that we tell her after I patch things up with Chlo. Em's readying the Bellas for ICCA semi-finals and until we get Chlo to let us all back in, I'd say we take baby steps. Right now, top priority is that I fix things."

"You'd better! We've been vouching for Bloe all this time! You're so damn slow, Mitchell!" Cynthia-Rose rolled her eyes.

"I know, I know. I am a class-A idiot! But I really need all your help now, I don't know how to get Chloe to talk to me."

"Well, do you love her?" Aubrey decided to cut to the chase. The girls all looked at Beca. They all knew Aubrey meant 'love' differently from the 'love' they shared as friends. This was love between couples or soulmates; this was 'love' with ardour and passion.

The DJ hated being cornered, much less confess her feelings to all of the Bellas, but she knew she couldn't escape this, especially when the girls might be her only way to get through to Chloe, and she wouldn't risk losing that, and losing the person she wanted most.

"Let it out, Big BM!" Fat Amy coaxed.

"Y..Yes! God! Yes! I love Chlo!" Beca's face reddened before she even spoke but a sense of relief washed over her the minute she confessed. It wasn't as dreadful as she had thought, but it was still unnerving to let whatever was buried deep in her heart unravelled in an instant like this.

"Finally someone came to her senses!" Flo chimed in with a smirk.

"Good to know, Beca, that we're not all just fangirling over Bloe, and shipping you two like a bunch of delusional groupies!" Stacie smiled, "Heck, we thought Bloe was over when you moved to LA!"

"So what then with the Jesse-boy?" Cynthia-Rose quickly asked, not exactly certain if she was more concerned about the long-time bet they had going or how Beca and Chloe's relationship would unfold.

"I won't hesitate to put you in a bear trap if you are planning to rock two boats." Aubrey warned at the mention of Jesse who she didn't particularly like since he was a Treble and old habits certainly die hard for her. To this day, she hardly warmed to her former arch-nemesis.

"Jesse and I broke-up! For nearly 2 months! Cut me some slack, I feel terrible already!" Beca pleaded as she put her face in her hands. Aubrey bit her lip, and went forth to pat the DJ comfortingly, realizing she had been a tad too harsh. "He's a good bloke, to be honest, just a little full of himself, like all the Trebles", Aubrey offered. Everyone remained silent, it was probably the first time she said something nice about a Treblemaker except for Unicycle who she had a long-time crush on.

"That makes the whole patching-up thing easier." Ashley suggested, hoping to break the silence and to also to comfort Beca a little.

"Yeah, so happy Bloe is happening finally! We've already got a "Jesseca" here, hello…" the girls laughed at Jessica's joke but were quickly reminded by the fact that they were all in seeing each other after nearly 2 years because of Chloe's condition.

"Chloe won't turn around if she doesn't see Beca is for reals." Fat Amy advised.

"So what's the plan?" Lilly whispered.

"I'd do anything for Chloe!" Beca blurted. That raised several eyebrows, the girls were only getting used to the DJ showing her romantic side and it was adorable.

"She's for real alright." Cynthia-Rose teased, making Beca blush again.

"I'd say if Chloe still plans to leave after Beca tells her she loves her, we just put her on house arrest, giving her only coffee and rice, until she starts thinking straight again." Flo suggested.

"She's hardly straight." Aubrey couldn't help exclaiming, now that all the girls knew.

"Flo's right though, we'll all intervene, but only after Beca talks to Chloe." Stacie glanced at Beca to see if she's getting the message.

"But she doesn't want to see me or talk to me!" The DJ reminded them.

"Not if you insist and say the right things. Beca, you need to get outta your comfort zone for once, tell her as it is what you're thinking, how you feel! She's going to surgery in less than 2 weeks, you need to act fast and dissuade her from leaving on her own! We'll all be here to support you every step of the way. " Fat Amy reassured.

"But say the right things, Mitchell, think carefully what objections she would raise and counter them gently, I won't have you fucking up again." Aubrey stated sternly, then remembered again that she ought not be too harsh on the DJ. "I'll keep Chloe under close watch myself and make sure she won't go anywhere until you patch things up." Beca diligently nodded.

Fat Amy stood up, wanting to wrap up the meaningless jabber and reach a decisive plan as her stomach's growling. "Okay, tonight, we'll spend the night thinking what Ginger would possibly say and get Beca to rehearse her replies. Good idea to get her off her jitters first as she looks like a scared monkey still! Tomorrow morning, we'll head over to Chloe's, Beca talks to her, we'll watch from afar. Beca, you signal us when you've got Chloe convinced. Sounds like a plan?" The girls all acceded. "That, and some room service. Menu's over there! I could literally eat _an elephant!_ " Fat Amy pointed to the leather-bounded folder on the coffee table. The girls picked their order, called for room service, and quickly focused on the work ahead.

The next morning, Fat Amy picked up her rental van to drive the girls to Chloe's, one that reminded them of their Bella's coach only with the windows tainted. The girls were a little apprehensive about seeing Chloe, especially knowing she's unwell and the Ginger didn't really want to see them, yet they took comfort that they were all in this together. And the Bellas could brace all odds, no matter how impossible it seemed.

Beca felt mostly uneasy, as she tried hard to re-enact all the scenarios she learnt the night before in her brain. The Bellas keep reiterating that she only needed to be genuine and be sincere, she wasn't too sure if memorizing things or lines would help. Fat Amy looked at her rear-view to see the DJ furrowing her eyebrows and decided to break into song, picking a song that hopefully will cheer her and the rest of the girls up:

 _Stand there like a ghost_

 _Shaking from the rain, rain_

 _She'll open up the door_

 _And say, are you insane?_

 _Say it's been a long six months_

Jessica and Ashley knew the Taylor Swift song all too well and joined in the singing.

 _And you were too afraid to tell her what you want_

 _And that's how it works_

 _It's how you get the girl_

 _And then you say_

All the other girls joined in, noticing how apt the lyrics were to the situation and as encouragement to Beca.

 _I want you for worse or for better_

 _I would wait for ever and ever_

 _Broke your heart, I'll put it back together_

 _I would wait for ever and ever_

 _And that's how it works_

 _That's how you get the girl, girl, oh_

 _And that's how it works_

 _That's how you get the girl, girl_

 _Remind her how it used to be, be_

 _Yeah, yeah_

 _With pictures in frames, of kisses on cheeks, cheeks_

 _Tell her how you must've lost your mind_

 _When you left her all alone_

 _And never told her why_

 _And that's how it works_

 _That's how you lost the girl_

 _And now you say_

 _I want you for worse or for better_

 _I would wait for ever and ever_

 _Broke your heart, I'll put it back together_

 _I would wait for ever and ever_

Beca smiled, taking in all the lyrics as the girls kept singing. It felt so much like the past when they were off on their Bella ride to competitions. Only this time without Chloe and Emily, Beca wished she had cherished those times more, particularly with Chloe who was always the one to encourage her singing with the rest of the team in spontaneous situations like this.

 _And that's how it works_

 _It's how you get the girl, girl, oh_

 _And that's how it works_

 _It's how you get the girl, girl_

 _Yeah yeah_

 _And youuuuuu knooooow_

 _That I don't want you to go_

 _Remind me how it used to be_

 _Pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks_

 _And say you want me, yeah, yeah_

 _And then you say_

 _I want you for worse or for better_

 _I would wait for ever and ever_

 _Broke your heart, I'll put it back together_

 _I would wait for ever and ever_

 _And that's how it works_

 _It's how you get the girl, girl, oh_

 _And that's how it works_

 _It's how you get the girl, girl_

 _And that's how it works_

 _It's how you get the girl, girl, oh_

 _And that's how it works_

 _It's how you get the girl, girl_

 _And that's how it works_

 _That's how you got the girl._

The song ended just as Fat Amy pulled near Chloe's place, not too close to her driveway but far enough for them to see what's going on at her porch so that Chloe wouldn't immediately detect they're all there. The rental served as a great cover.

Beca gave the Bellas a longing look as they all showed her individual signs of support and Fat Amy winked at her as she let the van door open for the DJ.

"Be determined, Beca! Go get the girl!".

The DJ hopped off the van as the girls all hunched over the side where they can get a good view of Chloe's house. Little did she know that Emily was already on her way to see the two senior ex-captains of the Bellas having the conversation she too had been praying they'd have over 2 years ago.

 **A/N: Next update will see the 'showdown' between Beca and Chloe, please stay tuned.**


	9. Chloe: Everytime

**A/N: The part the most of you are waiting for is here! It wasn't looking good for Beca when Chloe shunned her and left her out in the rain. Now Beca is back with a little encouragement from the Bellas, let's see how Chloe reacts this time.**

Chloe wound around the corner, slowly jogging back home. She had her sports earphones attached, the song playing was "Supergirl" by Anna Naklab and Alle Farben; a tune she had put on repeat while she took her morning jog every day since her resignation from her job. Jogging kept her mind distracted from thinking too much and Chloe felt the exercise will keep her feeling positive about what's ahead. It was one of the remaining pleasures she had aside from singing and dancing. Only problem was that Beca never really left her mind. The more Chloe tried to block her from her thoughts the more she kept coming back.

Chloe wondered how long she needed to completely get over the DJ. Killing her social life probably had not been the best idea but she knew she can start afresh after moving out from Atlanta. She hoped her voice wouldn't sound too abnormal later on. It won't help her befriending anyone if she spoke with a strange voice. The worry made her frown but she kept jogging. _Beca would call me a weirdo again_. She stopped at that thought. _Dammit!_ She cursed at herself for thinking about the Brunette again.

She had been jogging for over 30 minutes by the time she reached home. She stepped onto the porch, paused her music playback, and rummaged for the key she tucked into a tiny pocket in her jogging shorts when she heard a soft-spoken "hi" to her right.

"Oh my gosh!" she dropped the key, startled. She had been so deep in thought she didn't realize someone was standing at the porch. Her dropped key was quickly handed back to her and she realized the greeter to be none other than Beca Mitchell. Her heart skipped a beat but she quickly regained composure.

"Beca, I told you to leave me alone." She scowled, hoping that would get rid of her visitor, but Beca seemed unshaken.

"Chlo, please, can we talk?" The DJ implored, her eyes looking straight into Chloe's deep blue ones. Chloe faltered for a brief moment, Beca looked like she was grieving, those puppy eyes made her knees weak. _Don't fall for this, Chloe, you've made up your mind and nothing will change. Stay strong, you're a supergirl_ , _you're strong enough to resist this_. Chloe used whatever resolve she could to stand straight and put on the coldest expression her face can muster.

"Go home, Bec. I mean it." Chloe, flustered, mistakenly called her by the friendly name she solely used for the DJ and Beca took the cue, the Ginger was softening, which meant she might get somewhere if she remained steadfast now.

"I am not leaving and I won't ever be leaving."

"Then I'll leave." Chloe stubbornly tucked her key back into her shorts and was about to turn around to go when Beca grabbed her hand to stop her.

"No…please, don't! God…I'm so not good with words, but please hear me out! Just this once?" Chloe didn't turn around, she stopped as though to contemplate the request and then said, "Okay, say it and then go." She knew Beca would have insisted anyway even if she said, "no" and she only had that much resolve to keep turning down the DJ.

Beca let go of her hand but a sheer second later, Chloe felt she was pulled back. She didn't expect it but the small Brunette wrapped her arms around her from behind. Beca Mitchell was hugging her, and tightly at that. Chloe gasped and her legs gave way, she started dropping to the ground but Beca held her grip, slowly descending to the floor with the Ginger to help cushion her fall, both landed in a kneeling position.

What came next stunned Chloe even more. The tears she had been holding back since her last meeting with Beca started flowing as soon as Beca started singing, with her arms still tightly wound around the taller girl:

 _Notice me_

 _Take my hand_

 _Why are we_

 _Strangers when_

 _Our love is strong_

 _Why carry on without me_

 _Every time I try to fly I fall_

 _Without my wings_

 _I feel so small_

 _I guess I need you baby_

 _And every time I see_

 _You in my dreams_

 _I see your face_

 _It's haunting me_

 _I guess I need you baby_

 _I make-believe_

 _That you are here_

 _It's the only way_

 _That I see clear_

 _What have I done_

 _You seem to move on easy_

 _I may have made it rain_

 _Please forgive me_

 _My weakness caused you pain_

 _And this song's my sorry_

At the word ' _sorry_ ', the usually collected DJ rested her left cheek on Chloe's back as tears streamed down her own face. It took every ounce of courage in her to do that, but she knew the lyrics would hit home. Chloe felt the small girl quivering and realized the Brunette was crying too.

"I'm sorry Chlo, I am so sorry, I should have known way back I need you more than I imagined." Beca said, trying to steady her voice so as not give away the fact that she was in tears.

"You don't need to apologize, Bec. And you certainly don't need me. You do amazing things on your own." Chloe gently replied, she never felt the DJ so vulnerable or emotional, but she wasn't ready to be swayed.

"Not without you. I was the weirdo for not noticing or considering that."

"We've been apart for nearly two years and you have Jesse."

"He was never right for me, and I didn't feel at ease with him like I was with you, these two years were pretty lackluster and I forced myself to only focus on work!" Beca then proceeded to say the words she had rehearsed in her head over and over, it was nerve-wracking, but she knew she had to say it. " _I love you_ , _Chlo."_ , she whispered. Chloe could hardly believe her ears, _did the DJ just confess to her_? The Ginger's silence caused Beca to become even more nervous.

"I always have, but I was too dumb to admit it." Beca continued, hoping Chloe will say something.

 _This was too good to be true._ Everything Chloe had dreamed of between her and Beca was now culminating to this, she never fathomed it would be under such circumstances and she was fighting it with more self-doubt. _This can't be true._ The silence was deafening, Beca was desperate for words, not knowing if she should keep talking or just wait for the Ginger to respond. Her hesitation loosened her grip on the girl a little, maybe she was suffocating her? But Chloe quickly rested her right hand on Beca's left arm as if to stop her from letting go.

"Please. it's been nearly two years since we last saw each other. I don't want you saying these things or doing this because you sympathize with me, about my condition. That will only break me."

"I'm not, I swear", Beca quickly countered, "I mean, everybody could see that we had something..."

"So you are doing this from peer pressure?" The Ginger interrupted, feeling her instinct might have been right after all. It was just too unbelievable the aloof DJ would ever express herself so candidly, least of all her feelings. The fact that they haven't seen each other for so long and now _this?_ _Did the Bellas put her up to do this simply to comfort her?_

"NO! Ugh, I'm such an idiot with words, but no! I am not doing this or saying anything out of sympathy or what the Bellas think about us. I _know_ for a fact that I couldn't really live without you. I felt bad for only pinging when I wanted inspiration or ideas, but when I didn't, it killed me inside, along with my music. I couldn't produce anything. When you're gone, all inspiration was gone, all cheerfulness and happiness in my life were gone. I didn't see that before because I turned myself into a workaholic when I was with Jesse. It was real stupid."

"Jesse…" Chloe thought of the many times the mention of the name pained her, the many times she had to pretend to smile or act nonchalant when he was present with Beca.

"I ended it with Jesse." Beca assured her, "Let's just say that he was the first guy who really came after me, I gave in, and tried my hardest to work out a relationship with him, one that doesn't resemble the failed relationship my parents had; it was all a huge mistake on my part. He was never really right for me. That was apparent after our breakup, I was miserable and felt helpless, because you're missing from my life."

"You could go on without me, Em can probably help better than I can!"

"After Flashlight, I hardly produced a hit without your help, Chlo! Even when Em and I collaborated later on, my work had your signature on it. You have a good ear for what makes a great piece, and what just comes off as so-so. You had been so encouraging which kept me striving but you also kept me aiming for perfection in the best way. Nobody else could do that."

Chloe could tell Beca's words carried honesty as well as sincerity; the walls and barriers she built to keep herself from the Brunette were slowly tumbling despite her pragmatic side telling her to not completely give in. Beca kept holding her, being patient with all objections Chloe were raising. She knew they'd be coming, the Bellas had warned her as much.

"How could you be sure about us? We haven't exactly dated and I tried to keep my feelings to myself, except that _one_ time at our retreat."

"Babe, it's all my fault for being such a dimwit back then. I was super stressed out about doing that demo for my internship, my mind was not tuning into anything else and I didn't know we'd be completely unplugged and unwired for the two days we were at camp, I had to keep producing music in my head. And each time you sang….your voice just blew away everything I had created. I didn't make any progress."

"I'm so sorry." Chloe felt ditzy that the DJ just called her 'babe', she didn't know what else to say.

"You shouldn't be, I wasn't forthcoming with the whole internship thing, but deep down I was so worried you'd hate me for not giving 100% dedication to the Bellas, I felt guilty about it and became a little prickly towards you. Besides, you know I love the way you sing, ever since we sang in the shower together. Every time I hear you solo, I couldn't think of anything else. It was a bit…distracting." Beca blushed, so did Chloe but she still had her back turned so the DJ didn't see how the Ginger's face reddened. "Most of the time, great ideas come from just you singing back the stuff I sent to you, my demos. You really took the time to go through each, and I couldn't be more grateful and also a bit guilty that you put so much into my work, _voluntarily_."

"I won't be able to sing the same way again, if ever." Chloe told her, tensing up a bit. "My voice might change permanently, I'll be lucky if I won't sound like a freak afterwards." Sadness crept back too quickly as soon as she remembered her condition, it was why she wanted to push everyone away, especially the person behind her. _I could never help Beca again, in that same way._

"What matters is that you're healthy and safe. I will miss your voice, I admit that. But it's not the only thing I love about you, there are so many other things, the way you cheer me up, the way you motivate me, the way you make me feel and just about everything that you are. You're beautiful, Chlo, inside, outside. Besides, I will do what I can to help you find the best specialists, we'll get a second opinion and a third, and a fourth, whatever it takes. I'll go to the ends of the earth to get you the best treatment possible."

At this point, Chloe was moved beyond words, her mind was racing to think of more objections and she grabbed at anything, anything to snap her out of this really good dream she seemed to be having, anything to keep herself from breaking into a sob from the emotions building up inside her.

"But…but what about DSM's Kommissar, you have a thing for her too?"

"Chlo! I had a personal vendetta against DSM just like you! She was menacing and I didn't like her one single bit, I am just not good with words when I feel really nervous or intimidated, and somehow in front of you, I can't bring myself to say anything nasty much as I want to hurl insults at that bitch. Back home, I swear I could say the vilest things about her!"

Chloe giggled. One of the things she loved about Beca was how adorably harmless she was behind her cool exterior. Beca had always acted differently when Chloe was around, the Bellas found that obvious, Fat Amy also mentioned to her once how the DJ seem tamed when she was in the vicinity, but the Ginger brushed her off, thinking Beca was just being respectful towards their captain. Yet, Chloe had seen for herself too many times the way Beca relented to her provoking or touches, little-by-little as she continued to push the little Brunette's boundaries.

"You make me feel like I've never felt before, Chloe. It's unsettling at first, but you managed to get under my skin and I've grown increasingly addicted to it, to you…I don't know if you feel the same way, but this is the way I feel and this is what I wanted to tell you and say to you. Actually, now to think of it, I would have said it everytime we were together back at Barden, only then I was too clouded by plans after graduation." Beca lowered her voice to a whisper once more, feeling timid again. There was a long silence. She hoped Chloe wouldn't tell her to leave now that she had no more she could say.

Chloe finally turned around to reveal she was crying. Taken aback, Beca started apologizing profusely for making the Ginger cry, but the taller girl shook her head and posed one more question, "Do you really mean what you say, Bec? Please tell me if you're just toying with me or if you're not for real about… _all this_."

Beca didn't know what else to say to convince her, so she reached up, took Chloe's face in her hand and planted her lips on Chloe's who was duly taken by surprise. Beca had imagined the previous night it might have to come down to this and she was ready for it, but she never thought it would feel so _magical_. Chloe's lips and skin were so soft, the minute their lips touched, Beca felt electricity course through her body and it nearly took her breath away. The DJ kept the kiss long enough to feel the Ginger slowly relaxing and eventually reciprocating. Chloe was on cloud nine by the time they let each other go for breath. She was about to say something but Beca, fully blushing from the first one, grabbed her again for another kiss. The second one was slower, more intimate, as they explored each other's lips and tongue. When that ended, a dreamy Beca looked at Chloe abashedly.

"Er…sorry I got carried away."

"You're such a weirdo, it's like you never kissed someone before." Chloe chuckled shyly, she shifted her knees. They were starting to get sore from kneeling, and they proceeded to cross their legs, holding each other's hand as they move their legs and feet to a more comfortable position.

"Well, never in a way that makes me want more." Beca replied. It was true, for the first time Beca Mitchell felt there was something wonderful about physical intimacy or kissing, for that matter. Chloe was the first to make her feel comfortable being touched. And the two kisses just now were too amazing for words, so different from the one she gave Jesse after her ICCA win in freshman year or any time after that when she forced herself on him. Beca felt the same tingling session she felt long time ago during that shower when she looked at Chloe in the nude from head to toe as butterflies flew in her stomach and a giddy type of warmth washed over her body. It had been a long time but she knew that what she felt just now was arousal, plain and simple, and she wanted more.

"That was aggressive, Mitchell." Chloe teased again, gently wiping the remaining of Beca's tears from her face with her thumb as Beca did the same with the back of her fingers.

"There's plenty more where that came from, Beale." Beca took Chloe's hand from her face and kissed it, all the while keeping eye contact with the Ginger. Chloe's heart melted. The socially awkward DJ was naturally being sexy and romantic all of a sudden, and Chloe nearly lost her mind from sensation overload.

Beca couldn't feel more ecstatic the conversation took a 180 degree turn, it meant the world to her now that Chloe was on speaking terms with her and even let the DJ kiss her. "I love you, Chlo. I mean it, please don't make me leave or stop seeing me."

"I love you too, Bec, and I won't. Forgive me for pushing you away." Chloe sighed, hugging the Brunette tightly. For the first time in years, Chloe felt truly happy, it didn't matter anymore if she was facing cancer, she knew at that moment even if life was stripped from her, she would have no regrets because she and Beca Mitchell were finally admitting they're in love, she only wished that she could have all the time in the world to relish and live their new-found relationship.

 **A/N: There you have it folks! Remember that the Bellas are actually witnessing this from afar though they couldn't hear the dialog, we'll see how they all reunite and turn things around in the coming chapters.**


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